


She Came With The Rain

by owlbearfiction



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/F, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-01-21 02:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21292433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlbearfiction/pseuds/owlbearfiction
Summary: Edelgard didn't expect to find herself in the company of the Ashen Demon, in fact she didn't even know who she was until that fateful night on her ship. However Edelgard least of all expected herself to immediately fall for the stoic pirate captain.Byleth went on that ship in the hopes of finding more information, what she didn't expect to find was a Hresvelg heir. And the last thing she was expecting was finding herself quickly falling for Edelgard without even realizing.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 41
Kudos: 282





	1. The Ocean Breathes Salty

Her breath came out hard and fast. This wasn’t what was planned, this wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Rain had soaked her clothes through already and the ship rocked with the waves that crashed and rolled over the deck, the water eventually running back off of it. A streak of lightning tinted everything blue as she looked over the deck, her crew was rushing about. They weren’t prepared for this. 

“Lady Edelgard!” Hubert called, snapping her attention away from the deck to him, “Benedetta has spotted another ship a mile off, two more are approaching-” He jerked forward as a cannonball crashed into the side of the ship. 

“Man the cannons! Everyone prepare for battle.” Edelgard called as the people on the deck in front of her scrambled to different parts of the ship. 

A cannon thunked against the floor as Caspar pulled it out too quickly. Ferdinand wrapped his arms around the muzzle and struggled to place it back in the port, the both of them shouting at the other. Edelgard didn’t have time to oversee every little detail on the main deck, she needed to head to her quarters and retrieve her broadsword and coat. She was in such a rush to head out onto the deck after she heard the sound of her hull being ripped into, she didn’t even grab her weapon.

Stepping into her quarters felt as if all the chaos outside had temporarily been stopped. The rain wasn’t running into her eyes, and her hands were able to warm for a second, the sound of panicked shouting and the crashing of thunder muted. She could breathe, if only for a moment. Taking the gloves off her hands and flexing her fingers, Edelgard grabbed the brown leather gloves resting on the corner of her desk, pulling the coat off the back of the chair tucked into it. The red of the coat was muted and dull, her family crest branded across the back just like the design stamped on the ship’s mainsails. A target for any ship to spot within a fifty-mile radius. The ship jerked again as something slammed into its side, sending Edelgard stumbling forward into her desk. The moment was over. She rushed over to the corner of her quarters where her broadsword normally rested against the wall. Instead, it had fallen and slid into the center of the room. Edelgard grabbed it, not even bothering to attach it to her belt as she pushed open her door and stepped outside again.

Her grip tightened around the scabbard of her sword as Hubert spotted her. His usual deliberate walk was rushed as he pulled a loaded pistol from behind his back and passed it to her.

“Keep this on you, for emergencies.” He said his fingers closing around her gloved ones as the machination of wood and metal was left in her hand.

She tucked the gun into her belt against her back-- out of sight and not noticeable, the perfect kind of surprise when emergencies requiring a pistol arise. The crew shouted in warning as a wave crashed up and over the side of the ship. Wind continued to tear at the sails, another crack of blue lit up the sky illuminating three ships on the horizon. The muscles in her jaw twitched and jumped as rain started to soak her coat, stray strands of hair sticking to her neck falling from the now limp bun she sported. Two of the three were closer and would be on them in a matter of minutes. One of the ships began to careen to the side exposing their starboard. Edelgard scrambled to the railing in front of gripping it tightly.

“Everybody,” She commanded, “Down!”

Plumes of red flashed against the starboard of the turned ship, the sound of the cannons overpowering the roar of the rain and ocean. The sharp whistle of solid metal flying through the sky came to a crashing halt as it tore into the wood of Edelgards ship. 

\---------------------------------------------------- 

Byleth wasn’t paying much attention to the paperwork in front of her, instead, she’d found staring at the droplets of rain hitting against her window in her quarters far more interesting. The storm outside had taken a turn she and her crew weren’t expecting but everyone had buckled down what was necessary and she decided they would wait it out. Her eyes jumped down to the feather quill resting on the contract Jeralt had sent her, some kind of kidnap request for a rich noble who didn’t even know their own family had placed it on them. Pity that the nobility in this area seemed to have a tendency to cannibalize themselves. Byleth turned from her desk and walked over to the bird perched on the top of her dresser. Clicking her tongue, the bird cocked its head, clacking its beak before dropping from the spot onto the arm Byleth had out and ready. She itched at the feathers underneath its beak, Sothis’ head turning into Byleths touch as the bird clacked its beak further. 

“Captain!” A voice called from outside her door.

She stopped petting Sothis and dropped her arm, the bird seamlessly flying back to one of its many favorite spots in Byleths quarters. She opened the door to a soaked Shamir breathing heavily. Had she ran from the crowsnest? 

Byleth cocked her head, waiting for Shamir to continue.

“I’ve spotted three ships about a mile off, looks like two are closing in on a Hresvelg ship.” Shamir said, pushing some stray strands of her hair back. 

Byleth raised an eyebrow, leaning over to grab her coat before stepping outside with Shamir, the muted grey of the coat almost making her figure disappear in the dark colors of the night. 

“Does it look like a trading ship?” Byleth asked as the two stepped onto the main deck the rain already plastering her bangs to her forehead. 

“I wasn’t sure, I couldn’t see the mainsails clearly.” Shamir said wiping water out of her eyes and flicking the droplets onto the soaked deck.

Without prompting Shamir passed Byleth the telescope that typically hung at her hip. The Captain walked to where the shrouds met the railing lining the sides of her ship, stepping onto the slick banister and hanging by the checker-patterned rope she unfurled the telescope. She couldn’t see much in regards to the crew on the Hresvelg ship but she could tell they wouldn’t last in a fight against the two incoming ships. Flicking the telescope over to mainsails of the two approaching, she didn’t recognize the crest emblazoned across it. A frown tugged at her lips, she knew most of the pirates operating in the area and had taken it upon herself to memorize most of the Nobel houses that utilized the sea for trade and travel. These were new players. 

“We’re intercepting them, get the crew ready.” Byleth said closing the telescope and rushing back towards her quarters to prepare for battle.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Edelgard was exhausted and her throat was raw from shouting commands. Her crew had responded to the best of their abilities but the two ships were closing in now and her ship was barely staying afloat. Her broadsword, still in its sheath, stayed loosely gripped in her hand as groups of people moved from the cannons to the weapons strapped to their sides. They were going to be boarded, and they were going to have to fight. 

“Prepare for boarding!” She shouted as she glanced over her shoulder.

Petra had drawn her sword and was looking at both sides of the ship. They were surrounded. Her crew wasn’t prepared for this. They were all supposed to just be traveling from one coast to the other for some diplomatic meetings--there was no mention of hostile ships. The bands of muscle in Edelgards forearm twitched as her grip tightened on her sword. 

“You don’t think they’ll be kind enough to let us deal with one ship at a time do you?” Dorothea said appearing at Edelgards’ side. 

“I’m afraid not.” Edelgard replied letting out a chuckle. 

The other ships had stopped closing in on Edelgard’s by this point as an eerie stillness settled between the three. Droplets of water ran down her nose dripping onto her chin as she let out a long exhale licking her lips. Everything tasted like seawater. Her hand closed around the scabbard covering her blade as she slowly drew it out. A steel three-pronged hook dug into the railing next to her. A wave of the metal hands connected to different portions of the ship, tugging the two drifting next to Edelgards closer and closer. The railings splintered and cracked as a roar of jeering and shouting rose from the crews on the opposite ships. She watched as a man on the opposing ship took a few steps back and then sprinted forward jumping from his ship to hers, and then everything fell apart. Like a twig holding back the collapsing weight of a dam, everything snapped and came rushing forward. 

Feet slapping against wet ground sounded behind Edelgard making her pivot, her sword already up to meet the strike of whoever was attacking her. His blade clanged into her own, the force of the strike running down her arm and radiating out of her elbow, a sharp burst of air pushing out of her closed lips. She jerked her arm upward, knocking him off balance and driving her boot into his chest. Edelgard arced her blade down, lodging it in between the man’s shoulder and neck, before pulling it out and turning towards the maindeck. The occasional crack of gunfire cut through the constant hum of steel meeting steel, Ferdinand was waving his sword around as if he was talking with it before connecting the blade with the man in front of him. Good, no one had died yet. 

Another person rushed at her from her right, his blade slamming into her own and sliding down to the guard. Edelgard took a few stumbling steps back, widening her stance as he pressed closer. His breath stunk of liquor. Her free hand jumped to the handle of her blade as she pushed back against him, a grunt escaping her teeth. His own arms flexed and bent meeting her in force as the two swords continued to press together. He let out a choked cough as blood began to dribble out of his mouth, his grip on his sword loosening as it clattered to the ground and he took a few stumbling steps backward, collapsing. Dorothea stood behind him hands shaking and grip tight on the dirk in her hand, its blade already being washed of blood from the rain. Dorothea gave her a weak smile before nodding and rushing off to a different portion of the deck. 

“I wasn’t expecting to actually spot a Hresvelg heir on this ship.” Someone, a man, said behind her.

Edelgard whipped around sword raised and legs tensed to jump into an attack but the man in front of her held his hands up.

“I mean-- they told us an heir would be on the ship but hearing and then seeing are two very different things, wouldn’t you agree?” He continued walking a few steps closer before stopping, Edelgard still hadn’t lowered her weapon and she had no plan to do so with this man. He spoke like he knew all the chess pieces that were on the board and that is someone one should never trust. 

A frown settled on Edelgards face as her eyebrows narrowed. 

“They? Who is they?” She pointed the sword towards the center of his chest.

“Ah, ah, ah,” The man tutted motioning his lips closed, “I’ve said too much already, little Hresvelg heir.” 

He moved so fast Edelgard just barely kept a hold of her sword as he knocked it aside with something. Her arm flew wide, exposing her torso, the man driving his fist into her stomach. Her breath stuttered and caught in her throat as she doubled over, her hand scrambling and searching for what Hubert gave her. Her chin was jerked up as rough fingers clasped around her chin, his index finger smushing her cheek. This man didn’t smell of liquor, but he did reek of blood, rot. His brown eyes bore into her violet ones, an amusement she didn’t want to face running through them. Her hand closed around the wood handle of the gun placed at her back. She clicked the hammer into place jamming the muzzle into his stomach and firing. His grip hardened and then softened as he took a few stumbling steps backward, a frown etched across his face. 

“That was quite rude for a Lady.” He said, pressing a hand to his side, his hand coming away red didn’t seem to deter him. Instead the look he shot Edelgard had her legs locking into place. She was afraid.

She dropped the pistol clasping both hands around the hilt of her sword as the man rushed forward again. This time, Edelgard was able to see what he was hitting her sword with. A dirk, a simple dagger, but the amount of force he was able to pack behind each blow had her stumbling about the deck with each blow she managed to meet. She was barely keeping up and she was getting tired fast, even worse she was getting sloppy. He lunged again just as Edelgard had hopped to the left, her blade just missing his. His dagger tore through her coat, ripping into her shoulder. Her hand shot up wrapping around his wrist as her foot shot up into his chest, sending him stumbling back. Her teeth were clenched and she was breathing fast as she closed her hand around the handle of his dagger and pulled it out, hucking it into the waters next to them. Switching her sword to her other hand, she unevenly readied her blade. The man’s grip on his stomach was a little tighter now judging by the color of his knuckles and the way his jaw twitched after her kick. Good, the gun had served its purpose. He reached behind him, pulling another dirk from somewhere taking a step towards her. Sparks flashed as something collided with him. A figure, shrouded in greys and deep blues they were hard to distinguish in the storm. It looked like he just barely had enough time to bring his dagger up to block them. They shoved him back, whirling their foot around and slamming it into his side, making him stumble and slam his hand down on the deck to stay partially up. Edelgard couldn’t look away, the person’s movements were so precise yet fluid. It looked like they were dancing. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

Byleth’s crew had made outstanding time. Her ship was made for speed and when they arrived, the Hresvelg crew was clearly floundering. The way the attacking crews moved seemed coordinated like they weren’t just some easy hires you’d find at the back of a tavern. They had a plan and they were executing it without a hitch, until now.

Byleth took a few steps back on the deck of her ship looking at her crew that was tugging her ship closer to one of the mysteriously marked ones. The few that had stayed on the deck of their own ship had taken notice to the mysterious third party that was now entering the battle and were scrambling for the attention of their Captain. Byleth launched forward her feet pounding against the wet deck and pushing off the railing, jumping the gap. As her feet touched the opposing deck she was rolling forward, her sword being pulled from its sheath as soon as she was standing again. She let a short burst of air out between her lips, droplets of water flying with the action. The air reeked of gunpowder and saltwater. Her eyes scanned the few men on the deck, they held their blades loosely-- maybe not all of them were professionals. A blade was driven at her by one of the men who had managed to gather their wits and realize they were being boarded, her hand knocking it aside. His eyes widened at the action. It was hard to notice the metal plate strapped to the top of her hand and it often shocked those she was fighting when she batted away their blade with her clenched hand. Always to her benefit, she thrust her sword through his stomach, blood mixing with the rain on the deck and forming muted swirls of red. His body dropped and she continued walking across the deck, the sound of her crew landing and clashing with the few who were left erupting behind her. Shamir managed to catch up to her before she jumped over to the Hresevelg ship.

“What exactly is your plan here?” Shamir asked, her hand gripping Byleth by the elbow.

“I don’t like that I’m not familiar with their crest,” Byleth said, jerking her chin towards the mainsail of the ship, “Search the quarters with Catherine and grab anything you deem useful.” 

Shamir nodded before tugging the big blonde woman by the elbow towards an open door at the back of the ship. Byleth watched the two leave for a moment, hopefully Shamir would find something useful. Otherwise she’d be left with more questions than answers and a target on her back for interfering in someone else’s plans. She could deal with the target as long as she had information to go off of. 

Byleth landed on the Hresvelg deck, immediately ducking down and rolling forward as a sword slammed into the wood behind her. She twisted, sweeping her sword and slashing the man across the shins. His legs wobbled as he left the sword in the deck, turning towards her and pulling out the knife strapped to his thigh. Standing up, Byleth rushed forward her sword colliding into the knife in his hand and pushing him. His legs gave out and his back slammed into the floor, water splashing up and making him splutter. Byleth turned and started working her way through the continual fighting happening on the main deck, dodging and weaving when necessary. Her crew had entered the fray now and it looked like the Hresevelg crew had realized they were here to help instead of harm. 

She continued past the captain quarters and paused on the steps towards the forecastle, a flash of white hair catching her eye. A woman, no a Hresvelg judging by the crest emblazoned across the back of her coat, was fighting a man. His blade sunk into the woman's shoulder and before she could think about it she was rushing forward and slamming her sword into him. Sparks flashed as her blade slammed into his dirk, the bunches of muscle in her arms twitching and tensing as she pushed him back. Her eyes flicked to his stomach where his hand was pushed up against and she whipped around, connecting the back of her leg into his side. He slapped his palm on the ground, buckled over from the blow and gasping for breath. Her gaze flicked over to the Hresvelg, eyes tracing over her. She seemed alright for the moment. Her shoulder wasn’t bleeding profusely. The man next to her lunged upwards, attempting to drive his knife into her eye. Byleth jerked back, the blade just barely missing and instead cutting across. She jumped a few steps backward, frowning as she placed her free hand above her eye, feeling blood ooze out and meet her fingers. 

“You,” the man managed to make the word drip with accusation, “You weren’t even supposed to be in this area, why are you here.” He snapped, glaring at her. 

Byleth blinked, her face remaining flat. Blood was starting to run into her eye from the cut he gave her. She didn’t like what he was implying with his questions, not at all. It spelled trouble for her, the woman hunched over on the other side of the forecastle and her crew. 

“Answer me damnit!” He screamed.

He was becoming frantic now, that was clear for anyone to see. Byleth’s crew had helped the Hresvelg crew defeat his. He was alone and he definitely wasn’t going to live for much longer. Byleth took a step forward as the man tensed and gripped his dirk with two hands now. A cornered animal, that’s what he looked like now. She took another step forward, her leg muscles twitching and tensing. She dashed forward, feinting to the left as the man’s blade rushed over her head, thrusting her sword up and driving it through his side and out his back. She had a moment to fully look at his face. His eyes were a muddy brown and his breath smelt of chewed mint. The man though, he reeked of death, of rot, of blood. A scent that clung not only to his clothes but his soul, just like Byleth. She jerked her blade out of him, flicking it against the deck, blood mixing and staining the clear sheen of water before sliding it back into its sheath. She wiped at her eyebrow again, sighing as it came away red. Head wounds always bled more than necessary. 

“Who are you?” A voice, the Hresvelg woman, called.

Byleths head snapped up to look towards the woman. Her voice had a waver to it, like she was trying to mask that she was shaken. She walked over, stopping a few feet in front of her, hands raised to indicate she was no threat.

“Captain Byleth,” she said, taking a few more steps forward, “Someone on my crew saw you were in a bit of a pinch.” 

This close, and not in the middle of a fight, Byleth could properly see the woman in front of her. She couldn’t have been more than a year younger than her. Her white hair was soaked and barely being held in the bun it was previously put in, but her eyes-- her eyes seemed to pull her in like a person teetering on the precipice of a bottomless cavern. The woman cleared her throat, shaking her head. Had Byleth been staring?

“Apologies,” she said, “When someone introduces themselves, one is normally expected to give their name in return,” the woman closed the distance, holding out her hand.

Byleth grasped it, a jolt running up her arm, likely fatigue from the fighting she’d been doing.

“My name is Edelgard, Captain. I can’t thank you enough for saving my crew.” she said, squeezing Byleths hand.

Their hands lingered there for a few moments after, an odd tension settling over Byleths skin. 

“Lady Edelgard!” Someone called as a man came crashing up the steps and whirling towards the two of them.

They both jerked back from the other, turning towards the man who was rushing towards Edelgard and shooting her odd, menacing, looks. 

“The ship has taken too much damage, we’re taking on water.” He whispered to Edelgard.

Byleth wasn’t trying to listen in on their conversation, but the mans rushed whispering wasn’t the best-- whispering. She took a few steps away from the group towards the man she had skewered, nudging him with her foot before crouching down and rummaging through his pockets. If Shamir and Catherine didn’t find anything, this man was the most likely to have something on him with the way he was talking. He knew the plan and made sure it was executed. She paused, her fingers brushing against an odd metal shape. She pulled it out, raising it up towards the night sky, trying to discern the design. It was a sigil but not the one raised on the ships that attacked Edelgard. Strange, things just seem to be getting more and more complicated. She looked back over at the two who were now whispering back and forth at an alarming speed.

“Your ship is unuseable correct?” Byleth called, making the man shoot a glare her way.

Her lips twitched as she tried to continue to keep a blank face. His reactions were so-- dramatic. Edelgard placed a hand on his elbow, turning more fully towards her.

“Yes, it would seem so.” Edelgard replied. 

“My ship can house your crew until we reach a safe port,” Byleth supplied, walking back over to the two, tucking the sigil inside her coat, “We’ll need to make a stop since we were in the middle of a job, but afterward we can bring you to whatever port you would like.” 

“Lady Edelgard you can’t seriously--” He was cut off as Edelgard raised her hand.

“That would be most appreciated Captain. We seem to have found ourselves in quite the… pinch.” She finished, her lips quirking up. 

Byleth couldn’t help but return the small smile. These next couple of weeks were sure to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, I have a couple of really fun things planned for this! This is actually my first ever fanfiction so, yeah. Special thanks to my BETA reader who put commas in places I needed and helped with some clarity issues. I'm planning on posting a chapter every Saturday during the month of November and then after that we'll see where the story is. If I missed any tags or my rating doesn't sit right please let me know and I'll either change or add to the description. If you want to message me about the story or have questions my tumblr is chawaffle11210! (Also naming chapters and fanfiction works is hard)


	2. Magnetic

She stared at the man who now laid dead on her forecastle, the figure responsible for his death flicking the blood off their sword and sliding it into their sheath. They had moved so smoothly, like every movement with their sword was another limb. And they seemed to be here to help. Edelgard shifted from one foot to the other her throat thick.

“Who are you?” she called, she tried to keep her voice strong, she thinks she did. 

The figures head snapped in her direction and began walking in her direction, Edelgard tensed. The figure raised their hands before answering.

“Captain Byleth,” the figure, a woman, said, “Someone on my crew saw you were in a bit of a pinch.”

Edelgard blinked as the Captain walked a few more steps forward. She was striking, her eyes a sharp blue and with every step, she radiated a sense of self-assuredness. Like every move was deliberate and she knew exactly what was going to play out. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and her bangs were plastered to her forehead from the rain. Edelgard flicked her gaze from her face down to the Captain’s boots back up to her face, her eyes— they seemed to strike her dumb, the intensity of the gaze the Captain was giving her had all words dying in her throat. She cleared her throat, shaking her head. What had they even been talking about? Right, they had been introducing themselves. 

“Apologies,” Edelgard murmured, “When someone introduces themselves, one is normally expected to give their name in return,” she took the few steps necessary to get close enough to offer her hand.

The Captain’s hand grabbed her gloved one and it felt as if a hot coal had been placed in her palm, it didn’t burn but the warmth that shocked through her hand and traveled up her arm was jarring. It chased away the chill that had settled into her bones from the rain. Edelgard wasn’t sure how long they stood there holding the others hand but when she looked up she met the Captain’s eyes and all the breath in her lungs was sucked out. 

“Lady Edelgard!” Hubert called.

The both of them jerked back as Hubert came rushing up the stairs to her side his hair a mess and his coat unbuttoned and torn. His hand rested on her shoulder as he leaned down.

“The ship has taken too much damage, we’re taking on water.” He rushed out in a whisper.

He was frazzled and unsure of what to do, things truly were dire then. Edelgard glanced at the Captain who had wandered over to the dead man and watched as she poked him with her foot. Her lips twitched fighting off amusement before snapping back to the conversation she and Hubert were having. 

“What options do we have?” Edelgard asked looking up at Hubert.

“We might be able to take one of the ships that attacked us, we didn’t damage them quite as much with cannon fire,” Hubert tucked his pointer and thumb into his chin, “That may be the best option we have.” 

Edelgard gnawed on the corner of her lip as she mulled over the options, they didn’t seem to have many before them. Unless Captain Byleth was more a saint than a random passerby deciding to help she couldn’t expect the strange woman to offer her ship as well. Taking the attackers ship and trying to find the nearest port seems to be their only option. Edelgard tugged on the end of her gloves, the only fidgeting she allowed herself to do when nervous. 

“Your ship is unusable correct?” The Captain’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

Hubert let out huff shooting the Captain a glare that Edelgard just caught out of the corner of her eye, she rested her hand on his elbow trying to reel in whatever sharp remark was working its way up his throat.

“Yes,” she frowned, “It would seem so.” 

This was it, where the Captain’s odd kindness came to a jarring halt and she drew the line for how far she was willing to go for a stranger. 

“My ship can house your crew until we reach a safe port,” The Captain said as she walked back towards Hubert and Edelgard, “ We’ll need to make a stop since we were in the middle of a job, but afterward we can bring you to whatever port you would like.” 

Edelgards breath caught in her throat, maybe the Captain was a saint. Hubert stiffened at her side his head snapping in her direction as he rushed out his disagreement. 

“Lady Edelgard you can’t seriously—” Hubert stopped short as her hand raised, she had already made her decision. 

“That would be most appreciated Captain. We seem to have found ourselves in quite the… pinch.” Edelgard couldn’t help the little smile that worked its way across her lips, whatever was in store the next few weeks, she was eager to find out. 

Hubert harumphed next to her before straightening his coat.

“Well, I’ll go inform the rest of the crew to grab the bare essentials then.” He said shooting the Captain another glare that Edelgard didn’t miss, or the Captain judging by the amusement that seemed to light up the other woman’s eyes. He bowed to her and then started down the stairs and out of sight. 

With all the adrenaline draining out of her veins and the immediate problems solved Edelgard finally was confronted with the state she was in. Her muscles spasmed and clenched as a violent shiver wracked through her body the rainwater and sea air not doing any favors for her thin, torn coat. Her shoulder ached and as she folded her arms across her chest to try and stay warmer her ribs twinged in protest. That man really had thrashed her. The Captain walked over to one of the railings lining the forecastle and looked over Edelgard’s ships deck.

“Your crew moves fast don’t they?” The Captain said her arms now resting against the railing.

Edelgard shuffled over the few feet to the railing leaning on it as well to observe her crew below. Caspar was running into the door that lead to the crew quarters and hoisting out multiple boxes for the few crew members that were waiting on the deck. Lindhart was sitting down on one of them his head resting in his palm as he stared after Caspar rushing back in to grab more items. Everyone was safe, the affirmation was something Edelgard didn’t realize she needed until she viewed half her crew moving about on the deck below.

“Do you need anything from your quarters?” The Captain asked.

Edelgard turned to respond stilling as she realized how close the two of them were, she could see the raindrops occasionally sliding down the Captains forehead, staining red as it met the gash over her eye and then turning pink as it met with the water running down under her chin. Her fingers twitched around the banister, she wanted to touch the Captain’s face.

“I—,” Edelgard cleared her throat her fingers twitching again, “Yes, I have some things I’d like to grab.”

The Captain nodded their head before walking across the forecastle and down the stairs disappearing from her sight. Edelgard let out a huff of breath shaking her head at how much she was being affected by this woman she barely knew, it was dangerous. 

“Are you coming?” The Captain called her head peeking out from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Yes!” Edelgard said as she tightened her soaked coat around her shoulders picking up her sword and sheath which she had dropped on the deck at some point. 

Edelgard headed down the stairs her eyes tracing over the back of Captain Byleth, it seemed like the woman didn’t even have a scratch on her from all the fighting. Well, besides the one on her face. Edelgard walked past the Captain and pushed open the door to her quarters a shiver running down her spine as she finally got out of the pounding rain. At least there weren’t crashes of thunder and lightning anymore, instead, the sky had decided to just unleash all the water it still held. She left the door open as she took a few more steps inside walking over to a small box that rested on her desk. The door clicked shut behind her and as she glanced over her shoulder there stood the Captain looking about her room with an open expression.

Edelgard picked up the small box and tucked it under her good arm before walking behind her desk and pulling out two bound notebooks and some charcoal sticks. It may seem trivial to some but she didn’t want to leave her sketchbooks to sink with her ship, they held too many memories to be ruined by the water. She placed them on the desk and rested the small box on top. She tugged her gloves off her fingers flexing them trying to bring feeling back into her cold digits before striding over to the chest at the foot of her bed and pulling out a few sets of clothes.

“Do you need help with grabbing anything?” The Captain asked making Edelgard look up from the chest.

The Captain was looking up at her from one of the books she had pulled from Edelgards shelves. A page between her thumb and finger as she waited for a response, another shiver ran through Edelgard as water dripped from her coat onto the rug. 

“That would be appreciated, my shoulder is,” Edelgard pressed her lips together as her shoulder reminded her just exactly what kind of state it was in, like a hot poker being pressed against exposed skin, “Not in the best shape.” 

The Captain nodded closing the book and placing it back on the shelf before crossing the short distance of the room and folding the clothes Edelgard had put out. 

“Do you have a crate or chest to place these in?” The Captain asked lifting the folded clothes.

“Uhm, I believe so,” Edelgard stepped away from the chest and into the corner of the room where a crate filled with some rolled-up maps and compasses laid, “This should do.” She said pulling out the rolled-up maps with her good arm and placing one of the compasses in her front pocket. 

The Captain walked over crouching down to place the clothes into the box, a comfortable quiet settling over the room. 

“What maps do you have?” The Captain asked reaching past Edelgard to pick one of the rolled papers up that she had placed on the floor.

Edelgard’s breath stuttered as the woman reached across her entering her space, this close she could see flecks of what looked like iron in the Captain’s eyes. Edelgard’s fingers twitched. Blood beaded around the edge of the gash across the Captain’s eye and before Edelgard could truly think about it, she was wiping it away. The Captain stilled, her eyes turning towards her.

“Sorry,” Edelgard breathed, “The cut across your eye, I didn’t realize how,” words tumbled around in her mouth, “deep it was.”

The words fell flat between the two as Edelgards pulled her hand away clearing her throat. The Captain blinked once, then twice before shaking her head and pulling away leaving Edelgards hand hovering there.

“The maps?” The Captain asked as she stood unfurling the map in her hand.

“Right,” Edelgard shook her head lightly, “They’re of different continents surrounding us. One’s we trade with normally.” 

The Captain nodded her head before looking over towards the desk which Edelgard had placed the small chest and sketchbooks on.

“You want to bring those as well?” The Captain asked walking over and going to pick them up.

“Yes,” Edelgard tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear picking up the maps on the floor and rearranging them in the crate in front of her, no need to leave them behind if she has space.

The Captain appeared back at her side placing the box and books gingerly into it. Edelgard fidgeted with some of the placement of the items before finally placing the top over the crate and nodding her head looking towards the Captain. At the nod, the Captain crouched down and lifted up the box looking over at her.

“Since your shoulder isn’t,” the Captain looked at the torn portion of her coat letting the sentence finish itself with her look. 

“Thank you Captain.” Edelgard said ducking her head as the two headed out of her quarters. 

The ship jerked as the two left Edelgards quarters the rest of her crew already starting across the planks placed on the railing of her ship to the other. The Captain’s crew was holding some boxes and helping her own across, assisting the more worse for wear. 

“Looks like your ship is starting to seriously take on water, we better hurry.” the Captain said walking in longer strides across the deck.

Edelgard nodded and picked up her pace as a wall of rain slapped against her back and sucked whatever warmth she managed to regain from her. The Captain was already halfway across the plank when she reached it. She eyed the height uncertain on how she was going to make it up there, lifting her arms away from her side sent bolts of heat through the gash in her shoulder. Before she decided to just deal with the pain a hand appeared before her, the Captain had walked back over. Pink was running down her neck again from the rain. Edelgard placed her good hand in the Captains, her hands were rough and calloused and somehow still warm even though she was likely as equally soaked as Edelgard. As she was pulled up onto the plank her ship jerked again making her stumble. The Captain’s arms snapped out grabbing her and pulling her towards the Captain’s chest.

“Careful now,” the Captain said, Edelgard could hear the words bounce around in her chest with how close she was pressed, “We should move quickly.”

The Captain righted Edelgard before urging her along the plank. She stepped down from it spotting a woman with short hair so dark it almost looked purple. The woman nodded at her adjusting her grip on the crate she was holding, Edelgard looked behind her to make sure the Captain had gotten off the plank safely. As she turned she saw the Captain walk a few more steps before jerking forward. The edge of the plank that rested against her sinking ships railing had slipped off, the final rumblings of the vessel taking on water moving the piece of wood just enough. It felt like a weight had been placed on her chest as she watched the Captain drop, the plank no longer below her as a bridge. Edelgard and the woman next to her rushed forward.

“Captain!” They both called peering over the railing. 

Edelgards grip tightened on the railing as she searched the choppy water below, the plank knocking against the two ships before eventually cracking, splintering and then disappearing from sight. 

“Captain?!” The woman next to her called leaning over the railing.

“I’m here Shamir, please stop yelling.” The Captain called from somewhere. 

Directing her gaze along the ship she spotted a flash of the Captain’s hair and a very deep frown across her face. She was hanging from where the shrouds of the ship connected to the side, the checkered rope leading all the way up to masts. Edelgard had no idea how the woman managed to grab onto it as she was falling but she had. The Captain started working her way up the side of the ship grasping the hand the woman next to her offered, Shamir, she thinks that was the name the Captain called. 

Edelgard placed a hand against her chest, letting out a quick sigh of relief as the Captain’s boots clapped against the deck the woman righting her jacket before walking over to the box Shamir dropped. It took Edelgard a moment but she realized it was the box that held her clothes, maps, sketchbooks. The Captain picked it up before walking across the deck and continuing to the other side where planks lay allowing people to cross over to a third ship. Thankfully getting over to the Captain’s ship didn’t involve Edelgard having another heart attack. 

The Captain's ship was made entirely out of dark woods, a thick dark blue band wrapped around the outside of the ship interrupted only by gunports. The railings and sides of the ship itself had little design etched into them, and if they did they were unassuming. The sails strapped to the mast were slowly being unfurled as Edelgard looked around and saw her crew mulling about on the deck of the ship. Someone with short brown hair and a mustache let out a booming laugh clapping his hand on the back of Caspar saying something she couldn’t quite hear. A few more people bustled past carrying swaths of cloth into a door leading to something below. Edelgard moved her weight from one foot to the other, a gust of wind cutting through her soaked clothes and a shiver running through her body. She crossed her arms trying to keep the little warmth she had as the Captain shifted next to her placing the box she was carrying down on the deck and shrugging out of her coat. 

“Captain?” Edelgard began to ask as the Captain placed her long grey coat around her shoulders. 

“You seemed cold,” the Captain replied shrugging her shoulders slightly.

Edelgard couldn’t lie, she’d been freezing since she’d stepped out of her quarters, the rain and wind hadn’t been kind to her clothes or coat. They just weren’t made to provide warmth in a storm like this. The Captain’s coat was surprisingly heavy, made of some kind of leather that let the water dribble off of it instead of being pulled into the material. It was warm and Edelgard couldn’t help but tuck the collar closer to her face as she was given a brief reprieve from the constant bombardment of cold she was feeling earlier. Her gaze flicked over to the Captain whose lips turned up in a small smile before nodding to herself. With the Captain’s coat off, Edelgard couldn’t help but stare at the swaths of patterns that were pressed into the woman's skin. The tentacle of some beast curling around a ship peeking out from where her shirt stopped at her forearm, the petals of a flower blooming across her chest. The white shirt the Captain was wearing became soaked quickly, the cords near the collar of her shirt typically used to close the ‘v’ cut into the shirt hanging loosely. Edelgards mouth felt very dry.

“Oh Captain!” A sharp voice called as a woman rushed forward towards the both of them.

Edelgard watched as the woman gripped the Captains face between her hands letting out a tutting sound as she turned it left and right. Maybe this was the Captain’s wife? Of course the Captain had someone in her life, she had no reason not to. 

“What on earth happened to your beautiful face. Oh, this won’t do at all,” The woman continued, “It’s likely going to scar.” She said with a frown focusing away from the cut and back on the Captain.

Edelgard frowned as the woman continued to fuss over the Captain, a seed of irritation settling deep in her chest at the brown-haired woman. 

“Manuela please, I’m fine-- it’s nothing I can’t take care of.” The Captain removed the woman’s hands from her face looking over at Edelgard, “She however could use your care.” 

Edelgards gaze snapped from the hole she was boring into the deck. Looking up Manuela had dropped her hands from the Captain’s face and was instead looking at her now with her pointer finger resting over her lips. 

“Oh no, I couldn’t receive care before the rest of my crew.” She said, shaking her head.

Manuela’s lips quirked up as the Captain pressed her lips together. Something seeming to pass between the two. 

“Fine,” the Captain said, “let’s go and find you a room then.” 

Edelgard nodded her head as the Captain picked up the box she had put down and started towards the doorway she had seen a few of her crew members head into. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

The gash across her eye had only continued to get more annoying as time had passed, the rain constantly running into her eyes and making it harder for the wound to close. She was going to need stitches, Byleth let out a small sigh at that conclusion. She adjusted the box in her hands as she continued across the deck of her ship leading Edelgard to where the rest of her crew and the Hresevelg’s would be sleeping. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t help but occasionally glance at the other woman, she seemed to have such an air of composure it was— magnetizing. 

Edelgard shivered crossing her arms across her chest and before Byleth could think much about it, she was shrugging out of her coat and placing it over the smaller woman’s shoulders. The rain immediately soaked through her shirt but somehow she couldn’t care less. Edelgard tucked the collar of her coat closer to her face, warmth spread in Byleths chest as a small smile pulled at her lips. She nodded slightly bending down to pick the box she put back down on the ship as a shrill voice called across the deck.

“Oh Captain!” Manuela called, as Byleth looked up she saw her bustling across the deck before immediately grabbing her by the cheeks.

“What on earth happened to your beautiful face. Oh, this won’t do at all,” Manuela turned her head again inching closer to the gash across Byleths eye, “It’s likely going to scar.” Manuela finished clucking her tongue as a frown worked its way across her face. 

Manuela fretting over her wasn’t anything new, normally the woman erred more towards flirtation then direct concern, but it was her way of showing she cared. She’d been her ships surgeon since she’d been Captain and Byleth trusted Manuela with the rest of her crew’s life when it came to medical care. 

“Manuela please,” Byleth took Manuela’s hands in her own pulling them away from her face, “I’m fine— it’s nothing I can’t take care of.” 

Her gaze flicked over to Edelgard, specifically the hole in the woman’s coat that wasn’t visible anymore. Something like that needed care and Byleth would prefer it was sooner rather than later. 

“She however could use your care.” Byleth said drawing Manuela’s attention from herself to Edelgard instead. 

“Oh no,” Edelgard shook her head, “I couldn’t receive care before the rest of my crew.” 

Byleth pressed her lips together, letting out a short burst of air from her nose. Although it was honorable that Edelgard didn’t want to receive care before her own crew Byleth couldn’t help but feel a flare of irritation in her chest over the action. The woman had a hole in her shoulder and was insisting people be looked after before her. She looked up to meet Manuela’s eyes a smile crossing the other woman's lips and something glinting in the surgeon’s eyes. Byleth narrowed her eyes at the woman turning back towards Edelgard.

“Fine,” the word came out a little short, “let’s go and find you a room then.” Byleth bent over and picked up the box that was still on the floor of the deck.

Byleth walked over to the entrance that lead to the crews quarters below deck the wood of the box biting into her palms as water droplets trailed down her forearms across the bottom of it. She looked over her shoulder towards Edelgard who was following closely behind, occasionally the woman's gaze flicked over to Byleths forearms.

“They’re tattoos.” Byleth said catching Edelgards gaze, “It’s ink pressed into skin.” 

The other woman’s cheeks tinged pink and Byleth worried she was getting cold again before something came tumbling out of Edelgards lips.

“They’re-- beautiful.” 

Something caught in Byleth’s throat, she wasn’t sure what. Clearing it she gestured the both of them inside the doorway that led to the crew’s quarters. It was quieter in there, her crew and Edelgards had settled down into different rooms and the low hum of conversation hung in the air. It was warmer too, the heat seemed to seep into her bones as Byleth placed the box she was carrying down in the corner. No-one here was likely to steal anything. Byleth looked down the hallway seeing a few doors open before taking a few steps forward. 

“This is the crew’s quarters?” Edelargard asked as they both continued forward.

“Mmmm,” Byleth hummed in acknowledgment, “Everyone besides myself lives here.” 

They both walked a few more feet as a loud booming voice seemed to come crashing out of the room to their right.

“The Ashen Demon! I can’t believe she showed up, of all the pirates to come by.” A boy with messy hair almost fell out of the hammock he was sitting in as he twisted to look at the other person in the room.

“The who?” A softer more lilting voice responded.

“Come on Linhardt, there’s no way you haven’t heard about her.” The one in the hammock almost fell again as he twisted further.

Byleth’s lips twitched as she fought off a wave of amusement, walking into the doorway and resting against the frame she cocked her head to the side. 

“Heard of who?” She asked.

The loud one in the hammock jerked as he flopped out of the suspended bed, letting out a yelp. The other one, Lindhardt, yawned as he turned to look at her and Edelgard. 

“You’re not gossiping about the Captain already, are you, Caspar?” Edelgard asked as she stepped up next to Byleth. 

Heat bloomed along Byleth’s side as she, for some reason, became extremely aware of how close Edelgard was to her.

"No! No of course not, Edelgard." Caspar shouted as he righted himself on the floor. "Captain." He finished, nodding towards Byleth. 

Byleth nodded back, smiling as Edelgard let out a short huff of air and pulled away from her side. Just as quick as the flush of warmth was there, it was gone. Byleth pulled away from the doorway, waving in Caspar’s direction and continuing down the rest of the hallway. As she passed the neighboring rooms, it seemed her crew had taken it upon themselves to double up in order to allow the new members to settle in. As she and Edelgard passed another room, Shamir quickly poked her head out.

“Captain?” She asked.

Byleth turned, nodding for her to continue.

“I placed some things on your desk.” Shamir’s eyes flicked past Byleth’s shoulder, landing on Edelgard before giving Byleth a nod and turning back into her room. 

The two were only able to walk a few more steps before a shrill, trembling voice seemed to cut through the wood separating the rooms. 

“I mean it!” The voice hissed, “He wants to kill me, Dorothea, I just know it.” 

Byleth’s eyes narrowed as she took a few quick steps forward, the action making blood bead around the gash over her eye again. She tsked as she wiped at it and neared the door.

“Bernie, why would Hubert want to kill you?” A woman with long brown hair was sitting on the floor with her legs splayed out in front of her. “You’re our Barrelman and you have a good eye.” 

“I agree,” A woman with long braided hair nodded, “Killing would not be the best.” 

A hand on her arm drew Byleth’s attention away from the room. She turned her narrowed eyes, question on her lips, as Edelgard shook her head and gave her a small smile.

“She’ll be fine. Dorothea and Petra know how to deal with Bernedetta and calm her down,” Edelgard said as she squeezed Byleth’s arm. 

Byleth couldn’t help but drop her gaze down to the smile on Edelgards lips. Her throat itched and she felt warm again. 

“Right,” Byleth said, clearing her throat and heading towards the last two rooms. 

Looking inside both, they were… full. Byleth let out a huff, rubbing the back of her neck as she turned towards Edelgard.

“All of our rooms are full,” Byleth said as Edelgard pressed her lips together. 

“Until we find a better solution,” Byleth rested her hand on the sword at her hip, fidgeting with it, “You can stay in mine if you’d like.”

Her neck felt warm as her gaze flicked from the ceiling to the floor before landing back on Edelgard, her hand twisting around the hilt in her grip.

“I-- thank you Captain.” Edelgard muttered, her eyes focusing on Byleths boots. Did she have a bloodstain there?

Byleth removed her twisting grip from the sword’s hilt, coughing into the now free hand. 

“Then please, follow me.” She said, walking back down the hallway and towards the entrance she left Edelgards box at. 

The two strolled past the rest of the doors, most of the conversations that were a low hum earlier having either ended or quieted further. Byleth wiped at her eye again as she felt something wet trickle down her temple. She picked up the box once she got to the door, looking back towards Edelgard who her gave her a little nod.

Walking back out into the rain felt like jumping into the ocean without warning. Jarring, cold, and suddenly Byleths face was slapped with water. She walked quickly across the deck, her arm muscles tensing as the rain re-soaked her plain shirt and pants, water running into her boots. She adjusted the box, trying to free a hand to open her door before quickly giving up and turning towards Edelgard. The woman had her coat tucked up around her cheeks again as her arms were crossed across her torso. The question died her in throat. Edelgard gave her a questioning look.

“Captain?” She asked, jerking Byleth out of whatever tired haze she had temporarily entered.

“Sorry, must be tired,” Byleth said, shaking her head. “Would you mind?” She asked jerking her chin towards her door. 

“Of course not,” Edelgard said, stepping closer, opening Byleths door and letting her inside first. 

Her room was the same as she left it before, quill and papers spread over her desk as her bird Sothis jumped along the edge of the headboard of her bed. She placed the box in front of the desk, walking over to the chest at the foot of her bed. She pulled her shirt over her head and started rifling through the chest for another one. Finding one, she pulled it over her head, turning back towards Edelgard and stilling as she saw the woman's cheeks were flushed red.

“Are you alright?” Byleth asked, walking closer to Edelgard.

“Yes, quite fine, thank you for asking.” Edelgard rushed out, scooting back a few steps.

Byleth cocked her head to the side, scrunching her eyebrows before tsking again as the cut across her eye reminded her it was there. She wanted to ask further but first, her cut needed to be dealt with. As she walked across her room to the glass bottle she had resting in a crate in the corner along with some bandages, needle and thread, Edelgard walked a few steps forward.

“I can help you with that if you’d like,” she offered rushing out after, “I can imagine giving stitches to your face is difficult.” 

Byleth paused as she tucked the tin of smaller supplies in into her elbow and plucked the bottle from the corner.

“Thank you, that’d be very nice.” She couldn’t help but smile as she walked over with the items necessary.

Byleth always secretly dreaded this part after a fight, being poked and prodded while her body ached was even more exhausting than fighting itself. She swirled the liquid in the bottle, gauging how full it was before uncorking it and taking a long pull from the bottle. She shivered as liquid fire trailed down her throat. Corking it, she removed the tin from where she had tucked it into her elbow, putting it on her desk. She passed the bottle to Edelgard who shot her a confused look.

“To clean your hands.” Byleth supplied as she bent over to take her boots off, “If you want to change out of your wet clothes, feel free.” 

She chucked the long boots into the corner by the chest that held her clothes, feeling the carpet between her cold toes--it was rough but pleasant. She closed the distance between her and her chest, rummaging for a specific pair of pants and letting out a happy hum when her fingers felt the familiar fabric. Stripping her soaked pants off, she pulled the baggy cotton pants on, walking back over to the carpeted area of her quarters. 

Edelgard was crouched in front of her box, frowning as she shifted a few items, seemingly looking for something.

“Forget something?” Byleth asked as she sat down on the carpet and crossed her legs.

“It would seem so,” Edelgard responded, shifting some more things before letting out a sigh, “My favorite pair of gloves.”

Byleth frowned as Edelgard pulled out a shirt and a pair of pants, rubbing the fabric of one in between her thumb and finger. 

“Captain, would you mind,” Edelgard said as she tugged on the too-long sleeve of Byleth’s coat, “turning around while I change?” 

“Oh. Yes, of course.” Byleth said, wiggling around to face the wall. Rain lazily ran down the window above her bed. At least the storm was letting up. 

Sothis clacked her beak, hopping along the headboard before spreading her green wings and gliding over to Byleth, landing in front of her. The little parrot stomped around in a circle before looking at her and cocking its head to the side. Byleth leaned forward, cupping her hand for Sothis to jump into. The bird let out a little chirrup, nipping her fingers as she bounced around in Byleth’s palm.

“You can turn around now, Captain,” Edelgard said, followed by the sound of fabric rustling.

Byleth wiggled back around again with Sothis still cupped in her hand, the bird bobbing up and down as it clambered over her fingers. Edelgard picked the tin up from her desk, eyeing the bottle Byleth had passed her earlier before uncorking it, walking towards the door and pouring the liquid over her hands just outside. She stepped back inside and placed the bottle next to Byleth, opening up the tin. 

“So, who’s your little friend?” Edelgard asked as she began soaking a piece of fabric with the bottle’s contents.

As Edelgard leaned over Byleth to grab the bottle, her fingers twitched. Sothis squawked in irritation, nipping at her fingers at the sudden movement. 

“Sothis,” Byleth replied, her eyes tracing the bead of water that moved down Edelgards neck before disappearing into the other woman's shirt. 

Her throat suddenly itched a lot. 

Edelgard hummed in acknowledgment as she scooted a bit closer to her, rag held loosely in the other woman’s hand. 

“How long have you had Sothis?” Edelgard asked as she placed the rag against Byleth’s face.

The muscles in her jaw jumped as a sharp stinging pain ran up and along the gash, the bite from the alcohol slowly radiating outward. Edelgard gently pushed the cloth against her forehead and then her cheek again. The other woman was so close. Byleth swallowed thickly, the answer to Edelgards question shattering and splintering like wood under the blow of a cannonball. 

“Captain?” Edelgard asked, placing the cloth in the lid of the tin next to her. 

“I--Sorry,” Byleth stuttered as she nudged Sothis out of her hands, the bird now hopping along her leg, “I completely forgot what you asked.” 

“How long have you had Sothis?” Edelgard repeated gently, smiling at her as she started threading a needle. 

Warmth bloomed in her chest. She hoped she hadn’t drank enough from the bottle earlier for her chest to be feeling as such--she still needed to take care of Edelgard’s wounds. 

“For a little over fifteen years, now,” Byleth answered as Edelgard shifted a little closer with the needle and thread in hand, “My father got her for me when he started traveling more.” 

“Ah,” Edelgard said, pausing with both her hands hovering around Byleth’s face, “I’m going to start with your cheek first, okay?” 

Byleth blinked, simply nodding. Edelgard had said it so softly. All words seemed to die on her tongue. Edelgard placed her hand on Byleth’s cheek, tilting her head slightly to the side before beginning to stitch up the lower portion of her gash. Despite the fact that Byleth hated stitches, she didn’t seem to mind much this time around. Instead, her thoughts kept on jumping to the hand cupping her cheek and how gently Edelgard did everything--how warm she felt. 

They both sat there in utter silence, rain lazily working its way down the window above Byleth’s bed. Occasionally, Edelgard’s breath would ghost against her cheek. The woman’s fingers shifting against where she was cupping Byleth’s cheek. She suddenly had the impulse to rest her hands on Edelgard’s waist. 

Sothis clacked her beak as she jumped off Byleth’s leg and flitted up to her desk, lifting the quill she had left there and walking around in circles with it. Byleth’s eyes flicked over to her desk, letting out a little huff as Edelgard pulled away. A pang ran through Byleth’s chest that she couldn’t quite place. 

“There.” Edelgard said, placing the scissors she was using back into the tin. Byleth hadn’t even noticed she’d finished her cheek, let alone moved to her forehead.   
“Thank you.” Her hand immediately went up to touch the stitches as she shifted on the floor.

“Of course,” Edelgard said as she started soaking another piece of cloth, “It’s the least I could do for the hospitality you’ve shown me and my crew.” 

Byleth inched forward, her hand reaching out to the cloth that was now dripping with alcohol in the other woman's hands. 

“Here,” She said as she placed her hand around Edelgards, “Let me help you with that.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Being this close to the Captain was disorienting. She knew so little about the other woman. She wanted to trust her, but all rational thoughts screamed in protest to the urge--her want was entirely irrational. She leaned forward, asking a question. She used to do this with her siblings when they scraped their knees--get them talking so they don’t think about the cut. The cloth was cool, the alcohol soaking her fingers as she placed it against the Captains cheek, then forehead, then cheek again. 

“I’m going to start with your cheek first, okay?” Edelgard said as she inched a little bit closer. The cold that had settled in her bones earlier finally shattered as she became warm, hot.

Edelgard cupped the Captains face, pins running along her palm and up her arm. She wanted to swipe her thumb across her cheek. Instead, she tightened her grip on the needle and thread in her other hand. The needle pinched the skin as she pushed it through and the Captain didn’t even flinch instead she just stared into Edelgards eyes. The Captain’s stare was so.... open. Edelgard shifted her hand and leaned closer, letting out a sigh as she moved from the stitches on the Captain’s cheek to the gash on her forehead. Edelgard refused to make eye contact--if she did, she’d drown. She continued to push the needle and thread through the skin until finally she reached the end of the gash, a mere inch or so from the Captains hairline. 

“There.” She said, inching back and placing the scissor back in the tin the Captain had given her earlier. 

“Thank you.” The Captain said, her hand immediately prodding at the stitches Edelgard had just finished.

She pressed her lips together, trying to fight off the wave of amusement that smacked into her with the Captain’s sudden, almost childish need to poke at the wound. 

“Of course,” she replied as she turned back to the tin and pulled out another piece of cloth, soaking it with alcohol, “It’s the least I could do for the hospitality you’ve shown me and my crew.”

Edelgard’s breath caught in her throat as the Captain inched forward and gingerly wrapped her fingers around her own. For someone who ran a man through a mere few hours ago, her touch was so gentle. Alcohol ran down her fingers and quickly raced down her forearm as the soaked cloth leaked the extra liquid.

“Here,” the Captain said, “let me help you with that.” 

“I--” Edelgard stuttered, “You don’t have to.” 

Edelgard wasn’t expecting the Captain to help her and if she was being honest with herself, the idea made her panic. The Captain cocked her head to the side, blinking before removing her hands from Edelgard’s and leaning over to grab another cloth.

“No,” she replied, soaking the piece of cloth and wiping her hands, “but I’d like to.” 

The Captain turned back to her. Her hand still hung in the air with the cloth as her eyes flicked over the Captains face. She was searching for something, trying to see if the Captain had some other goal. The Captain paused.

“Unless you’d truly rather I not?” The Captain asked as her hand hovered around the cloth Edelgard was still holding.

Sincerity. That was all Edelgard found in those striking eyes. She couldn’t find anything else. She relaxed, the panic loosening its grip around her chest.

“No, it’s alright--” She passed the cloth over to the Captain, their fingers brushing. It felt like spreading her fingers in front of a warm hearth, “Thank you.”

The Captain simply nodded before scooting closer, hooking her fingers into the collar of Edelgard’s shirt. The other woman waited a beat before gingerly pulling the collar down until the split skin was visible. Edelgard’s eyes danced across the Captain’s face as the other woman chewed on the corner of her lip before tsking. Her eyes flicked over to stare at the ceiling, instead, as she felt the Captain shift closer. She wouldn’t look at the woman, she refused to. No matter how much she wanted to. 

The cloth pressed against the wound was cold. That was the first thing Edelgard registered. Then, biting pain, like a hot poker being pressed into her shoulder. She twitched, biting the inside of her cheek. She wanted to squirm away from it so badly.

“Almost done,” the Captain said softly. She moved the cloth slowly over the rest of the wound, placing her other hand on the small of Edelgard’s back. 

Heat worked its way up the small of her back until it settled in between her shoulders, moving with her breath. The cloth brushed against her skin, over her collarbone, and finally swept over her shoulder. The sharp smell of alcohol bit at her nose. The Captain placed the cloth into the almost full tin lid. Edelgard hadn’t even noticed she was holding her breath until the Captain moved away, shifting about with the items in the metal box. She stared at the cloth piled in the tin, the previously white fabric mottled pink now. She had been leaning closer to the Captain and she hadn’t even realized it--that is until the Captain turned around and almost brushed her nose against hers. Her eyes skittered down to the Captain’s lips and she licked her own without thinking. Breath stuck in her throat, her eyes dragged themselves back up to the Captain’s, the iron circling the woman’s pupils turning molten. Magnetic. It felt like fire was working its way up her veins, making a home in her chest, her throat. 

“Sorry,” the Captain muttered shaking her head, “it’s been a long night. I zoned out.” 

Edelgard coughed into her hand, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it from the daze she had entered.

“No need to apologize, Captain,” she continued, “I can only imagine.” 

“I’ll be sure to get us some food after this,” the Captain promised, curling her fingers around Edelgard’s collar again. “Maybe some drink, too,” she finished, catching Edelgard’s eyes again.

As the Captain’s fingers trailed across her shoulder, it felt like a fire ripping through a dry forest, eating everything in its wake and leaving nothing behind. Edelgard was so consumed by the feeling she didn’t even feel the Captain push the needle through her skin. When the sensation did come stumbling to the front of her attention she couldn’t help but focus more on how softly the Captain was holding her arm as she pinched the needle through her skin. Or the occasional puff of breath that would ghost across her shoulder from the other woman, it raised goosebumps along her neck. 

Sothis chirruped from the desk spreading her wings and flying over to the two of them. Edelgard didn’t have any pets when growing up, she wasn’t quite sure how to act around this bird or let alone any other animals. The bird was pretty, though. Vibrant green feathers coated its back and wings while warm oranges and yellows mixed on its head and neck. It was striking, just like it’s owner. Sothis waddled around on the carpet, cocking its head back and forth between each squeak. It clearly wanted something, Edelgard just had no idea what. 

“She wants to be held,” the Captain supplied pausing between stitches, “She doesn’t like all the attention I’m giving you. She gets very jealous.” 

Edelgard stilled. The Captain had to be joking, right? Glancing over at the other woman and the smile that showed just a hint of teeth, Edelgard guessed she was.

“I’ve never-- how do you hold them?” she asked as the Captain shifted her hand further up her arm and cupped her shoulder. 

“Just cup your hand and let her jump in,” she said, “I’m almost done here too--just a few more.”

Edelgard nodded. No matter how distracting the Captain was proving to be, her stab wound was proving itself to be more so. The sharp jolting pain from earlier had turned into a constant throb as her skin was pressed together and encouraged to heal. She dropped her hand to the floor to see if Sothis would hop into it. 

The bird cocked its head, hopping forward. It opened and closed its beak a few times before turning its head to look at her. Was she being judged? Her fingers twitched and like that she seemed to fail whatever test Sothis was giving her, the bird turning and hopping away. It spread its wings and flew over to the Captain’s headboard, fluffing its feathers. The snipping of scissors had Edelgard looking back towards the other woman again. The Captain’s fingers danced across her shoulder as she tugged up her shirt, a soft circle made with the woman’s thumb against her arm. 

“There,” the Captain said, smiling at her. “Were you hurt anywhere else?” 

For a second, Edelgard was worried that suddenly she was, because after the look the Captain sent her way she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. 

“I, uh… no,” Edelgard stuttered out.

The Captain shot her a narrowed look, like she didn’t fully believe the delivery... Edelgard cleared her throat.

“Nothing besides a few bruises, Captain,” She said softer.

The Captain nodded then, getting up and grabbing the supplies that were scattered across the carpet. After being so close for so long, Edelgard almost felt a chill settle into her at the loss. But that would be ridiculous, right? Her gaze moved around the room, settling on the Captain’s coat that she had folded. Edelgard didn’t want to take the Captains coat off after she had changed her clothes but, realistically, she knew she had to. It was big on her and the sleeves went past her hands. Wearing the sturdy piece of leather not only kept her warm, but oddly, made her feel safe. 

“I’m going to fetch us that food I promised,” the Captain cheerily said, snapping her fingers, “And drinks! I promised drinks, too.” 

Edelgard shifted from her spot on the floor, getting up as the Captain left her. The woman was shockingly trusting. She just left a complete stranger in her quarters with her childhood pet. Sothis rustled her feathers as if she heard Edelgard thinking about her. She turned to look at the window over the Captain’s bed--it had finally stopped raining and it looked as if the sun was cresting over the horizon. Vibrant orange and pinks were spattered across the still brightening sky. Her exhaustion came crashing down around her. Might as well make whatever bed the Captain planned for her to sleep in. Edelgard walked around the room searching for something that would resemble a hammock, bed, or anything really, and found... nothing. 

She was fighting off the urge to just lay down in the Captain’s bed and let the consequences be damned when the door opened again. The woman was juggling a loaf of bread, a few strips of dried meat, and two mugs of something. She wildly swung her leg back to close the door. For someone who displayed hypnotizing movements while fighting, this was a… jarring difference. 

“I got it!” the Captain shouted, the words muffled by something. As she turned, Edelgard realized what. A strip of dried meat was hanging from her mouth. 

She just managed to bring her hand up to muffle her laugh but she couldn’t seem to stop it, and soon she was doubled over clutching her stomach with laughter. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the near-death experience, the stress of almost losing her crew, or finding such a strangely wonderful woman but she simply couldn’t stop laughing. By the time she stopped, the Captain was giving her the most confused look. 

“Sorry,” Edelgard rushed out, “It’s been quite a day, I just-- I just found that,” she gestured to the door and where the Captain was now, “utterly amusing.” 

She prayed she hadn’t offended the Captain, it was just... the jerky uncoordinated movement was too funny. The Captain smiled in her direction, meat strip still hanging from her mouth. Edelgard smiled in return, walking over to where the Captain had started putting the food down. She ripped a piece of bread off the loaf and popped it into her mouth. Even if it was a little stale and just bread, she’d never tasted anything better. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was until now. She looked over at the Captain who was also eating while looking at her. Edelgard stilled.

“You’re still smiling,” the Captain said softly.

Edelgard brought her fingers up to her lips.

“So I am,” she replied. 

The two continued to rip into the food in front of them as the sun painted the room in warm hues. Edelgard reached over the desk, plucking the mug from where it was placed taking a sip. It wasn’t water., It was some kind of sweet wine cut with water. She knew most ships didn’t carry just water but the sweet wine was a pleasant surprise. The alcohol washed over her tongue and settled warmly in her stomach. After she finished eating, she couldn’t help but yawn. Her stomach was full and her shoulder no longer felt like it had been pressed into a fire. She was tired. 

“All the extra hammocks were taken by your crew, so you can sleep in my bed if you’d like,” the Captain offered.

Before Edelgard could protest, the Captain cut in again.

“I need to write a few letters before I even think about sleeping, so don’t worry about taking the bed.” 

“Well,” Edelgard muttered, too tired to argue, “if you’re fully sure, Captain.” 

The Captain simply nodded, picking up the mugs on her desk and the scraps of bread left.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be quiet on my way back in.” the Captain said as she opened her door and walked out onto the deck.

Propriety be damned. Edelgard walked over to the bed, letting out another yawn as she moved the few blankets that were messily strewn on top aside. She barely stifled a groan as she slid under the blankets. She’d never missed sleep more. She placed her hands over her face, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. The Captain kept on surprising her and every reason for Edelgard to doubt her had been smashed before her eyes. She had no idea why the other woman kept on doing the things she did, but she was breaking down the walls Edelgard had at a shocking pace. She turned on her side in the bed, looking out at the rest of the room. She pulled the blankets up to her chin. Sothis was rested on the top of one of the shelves nailed into the wall, occasionally clacking her beak. For the first time in hours, it seemed Edelgard was truly alone, no impending disaster around the corner and in a shocking turn of events, safe. Her eyelids started to droop. 

The door creaked open slowly, the Captain inching inside quietly. Edelgard was just on the cusp of sleep as the other woman gingerly stepped across the room and pulled her chair out, sitting at the desk. She fell asleep to the sound of a quill scratching against paper and the occasional chirrup of Sothis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first saw the character design for Byleth I thought she had a bunch of really cool tattoos across her legs, let's just say I was disappointed when I found out they were just tights. Also apparently tattoos were super uncommon in the general time period I'm setting this in but-- tattooed Byleth is one of my favorite character changes about her so she has a bunch. If you can guess what kind of bird Sothis is I'll post a oneshot lol. Hopefully this chapter being twice as long as the first one makes up for the massive delay! I wasn't expecting this to take as much time as it did so I apologize for that! I'll start writing chapter three this week but no promises I'll be posting that Saturday since my work has been a bit crazy. I'd also like to give a big thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos!! Thank you all so much! ALSO another thank you to my BETA reader who continues to put commas where I need them. Hope you all enjoyed, if you want to follow me on twitter (ollie_griffins) I post updates about this fic on there.


	3. Golden Antlers

Byleth chewed on her bottom lip as she turned over the oddly shaped piece of metal in her palm. It was a triangle with strange patterns pressed into it, snakes wrapping around a scale with fractal patterns working out from it. She’d had over a week to look at the items Shamir had grabbed for her and she still had no idea who the people they ran into were. She dropped the metal onto her desk, the ‘thunk’ the only sound filling her quarters. Rubbing at her neck, she let out a long sigh. She had no answers and could only hope her father had some insight into the mess she’d stumbled into. She’d sent Sothis out with a letter a few days ago, but she had no idea when her father would be able to send a response back. She pinched her neck, working her fingers into the tense muscle-- she’d been falling asleep at her desk for the past week, since Edelgard had been using her bed. She couldn’t help but smile thinking about the other woman. After the first night that she’d fallen asleep at her desk, she’d woken up to her coat draped over her shoulders and her ink pot closed. She tucked the piece of metal into her pocket and folded the letter Shamir had grabbed as well. Although Byleth had a bookshelf in her quarters on books ranging from basic medicine to navigating the sea through constellations, she did not have one on ciphers. Which is exactly what she needed for the strange letter. Getting up from her desk she walked over to where her sword and coat were hung, hooking her sword onto her belt and draping her coat over her shoulders. She yawned into her hand, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She really needed to find an alternative to sleeping at her desk. 

The deck of her ship was bustling with life. The sails were snapped taught with wind, salt and fresh air wafting up from the calm sea below. A gull screeched as some crew members walked past her, nodding their heads in greeting. Byleth scanned the deck, looking for Edelgard. She wasn’t sure why she was looking but she wanted to. Something tugged at her stomach when she didn’t spot the other woman's face. Disappointment? Why? She knew Edelgard was busy--she had to be, with the meetings her and Hubert had almost every morning. 

Alois shouted some joke across the deck to Caspar as he was tying a rope to the mainmast, the messy-haired boy buckling over with laughter. A smile tugged at Byleth’s lips. She was glad to see both crews getting along. It made the adjustment of having almost a dozen more bodies on her ship easier for everyone.

“Captain!” Sylvain called, his shock of vibrant red hair just visible over the railing of the quarter deck.

Byleth turned and walked up the steps to see what Sylvain wanted. As she approached, he flashed her his most charming grin and leaned against the ship’s wheel. 

“You are looking as striking as ever. I kinda dig the new scar... Adds an air of dangerous to you that you didn’t have before.” Sylvain said, gesturing with the hand he had propped between one of the pegs of the wheel.

Byleth chuckled, rolling her eyes. Sylvain always had the most interesting starts to conversations with her.

“What did you call me up here for, Sylvain?” She asked, crossing her arms, a smile still tugging at her lips.

“Besides having the chance to see your most beautiful face?” He asked, pulling away from the wheel and placing a hand against his chest, blinking furiously at Byleth. 

She simply blinked slowly in response, waiting for Sylvain to continue. A smile cracked its way along Sylvain’s face as he let out a little chuckle, moving into a less dramatic pose. 

“We’re landing into the port of Black Spot Cove soon,” he said, pulling a compass out of his pants pocket and looking at it for a moment. “ I can have Shamir inform you when we’re within an hour’s distance?” 

“That would be appreciated,” Byleth said as she nodded. She turned to leave, walking a few steps before pausing and turning back towards Sylvain. “You haven’t seen Edelgard, have you?”

He looked over the deck, frowning, “No, I don’t think I have.” He turned towards Byleth again. “She threatened me with a fork a few days ago, when we were all eating,” he finished, scratching the back of his head.

“Did you try to hit on her?” Byleth asked, voice flat. She already knew the answer.

“I simply did what any man would do!”

“Right,” she replied, monotone. “I’m going to check in with Catherine and Alois to make sure everything is taken care of when we dock.” 

Byleth turned, walking down the steps to the main deck and waving as she passed Petra and Dorothea. She’d managed to learn most of the Hresvelg crew’s names at this point--it was the least she could do seeing as they’d all be spending some more time together on this ship. She continued on towards the mast she last saw Alois at, stopping next to Caspar who was busying himself with some rope. 

“Caspar,” she started as he finished tying a knot. “Do you happen to know where Alois went?” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, resting her palm against the pommel of her sword.

“Captain!” He shouted, righting from the hunched position he was in, “I think he said something about food?” He asked more than replied, his eyes flicking down to her hand.

Her fingers fidgeted with the pommel as she nodded, turning to head in the direction of where they stored food and stopping again as Caspar spoke up.

“Uh, Captain?” He fidgeted with the ends of the rope in front of him now. “Would you-- Would you be able to show me how you block blades with your bare hands, sometime?” 

Byleth blinked as she mulled over the words that just came out of his mouth, a laugh working its way up from her chest. Before she could let out a snort, her hand shot up to stifle it. 

“Is that what the rumors are now?” She asked around her hand, trying to mute the pure glee she was experiencing.

“Are they not true?” He asked, dropping the ropes and taking a few steps towards her, “I mean I didn’t get to see you fight, but with the way Edelgard talked about it I figured they were.” 

Byleth’s chest tightened and suddenly felt warm. 

“Edelgard talked about it?” She asked, leaning a little closer. She was just curious about what Edelgard thought about her fighting style--that was why she wanted to hear what the other woman had said, that was why her heart was beating faster than before. It had to be. 

“Mhm!” He shouted, jumping into a wide stance with his arm leveled in front of him like he was holding a sword. “She said you moved like you were dancing; Deadly, precise.” He thrust his arm out and then swished it around chaotically. “I think she threw in breathtaking?” He said looking at her. He shrugged his shoulders and dropped his arm to his side. 

“Breathtaking?” Byleth muttered, her gaze dropping to the deck, her cheeks pressed up into where her hand was over her mouth. She was smiling. 

“Yeah,” Caspar said as he itched at his chin, “You must’ve been something, I’ve never heard Edelgard talk about someone else like that.” 

Something flashed in the corner of her eye. Her arm shot out, pushing Caspar back as a dirk flew past them and sunk into the mast between them. She drew her sword, whipping around and pressing the tip to their assailant’s chest.

“Good to see you haven’t turned rusty in the past week, Captain,” Catherine said as she pushed aside Byleth’s blade. “With the little we’ve seen you, I figured your muscles would’ve atrophied.” 

“Catherine…” Byleth sighed, sheathing her sword. “Do you have to do that every time?” 

“That’s common?!” Caspar spluttered, his hand still pressed to his chest.

“I have to make sure our Captain is always in tip-top shape,” Catherine stated, clapping Caspar on the shoulder. “Ashen Demon rumors or not, she can still get sloppy.” 

Byleth pressed her lips together and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“We’re landing at Black Spot Cove soon. Can you and Alois handle the restocking of the ship?” She asked, dropping her hand from her face.

“Sure,” Catherine said, shrugging. “Where are you going to be slinking off to?” She asked crossing her arms.

“I have an old friend I need to catch up with,” Byleth said, turning from the group. “I’ll be in my quarters if anyone needs me.” 

“Bye Captain!” Caspar shouted as she walked across the main deck to her room.

Maybe she would be able to close her eyes for a moment, at least until Shamir informed her they were close to Black Spot Cove. The idea itself had her eyelids drooping already. Sleeping hunched over a desk for a week wasn’t really restful. She pushed open the door to her quarters and practically tripped over a pair of legs.

“Oh, Captain!” Edelgard called as she moved out of Byleth’s way. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be coming back,” the woman said as she shifted from the spread out position she had settled into. 

“I was just... um….” Byleth yawned into her hand scrunching up her face. “... Walking around the ship, checking in on my crew.” 

The yawn pulled at her stitches and reminded her yet again that they were well past the point of being taken out. Edelgard hummed in response, turning back to the notebook that was open in her lap. Byleth took a step closer without even realizing. She was curious what the other woman was so invested in. She watched as Edelgard flipped through a few pages of the book, each page revealing a new face with sharp shading. Byleth was fascinated--the heir seemed to have a never ending list of skills. 

“You draw?” the question tumbled out of her mouth before she could catch it.

Edelgard snapped the notebook closed. Byleth hoped she hadn’t overstepped. She stood a few feet away as Edelgard looked at her, the other woman's cheeks becoming more and more red. 

“Poorly, but yes.” Edelgard replied, her fingers curling around the cover of the book before skittering to the top and doing the same. 

“They didn’t seem poorly done,” Byleth muttered.

Her voice was much softer than she meant for it to be, but somehow it felt like if the statement was spoken any louder, Edelgard would startle and leave. 

“I still have much to improve on,” she stated, her gaze flitting across the carpet before landing on Byleth. “Thank you, though, Captain.” 

Something pulled in her stomach at the way Edelgard was looking at her--something rattling around in her chest as her breath stuck in her throat. She cleared it, shaking her head lightly before rubbing the back of her neck. 

“We are going to be landing in Black Spot Cove soon,” she supplied. It felt like her brain was trudging through molasses. It has to be the lack of sleep. What else could it be?

“Would you prefer my crew and I stay aboard?” Edelgard asked as she shifted across the carpet and put her sketchbook back.

A beat passed as Byleth processed the words.

“Captain?” Edelgard pushed.

“I, uh….” a yawn worked its way into her sentence, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. “No, just be cautious when walking about. We still have no idea who attacked your crew.” 

“Right,” Edelgard muttered, getting up from the carpet and moving her box into a corner.

There was the sound of feet brushing against carpet and then a faint pressure on her shoulder. 

“Captain? Are you alright?” Edelgard’s voice cut through the unfocused stare Byleth had directed at her bookshelf.

Byleth pinched the bridge of her nose, simply nodding. She didn’t even register how Edelgard’s hand lingered on her shoulder until she dropped her own arm and Edelgard did the same. 

“I’m fine, just in need of some sleep.” She said as she walked over to her desk, shrugging her coat off and placing it on the back of her chair. 

“Would you like me to leave so you can?” Edelgard asked.

“No, no,” Byleth said, waving her hand around as she removed her sword from her belt and laid it across her desk. “No need for you to leave.”

She tugged her boots off, letting them land wherever on the floor. Without another word, Byleth crossed the room and settled on her bed, not even bothering to get under the covers. She’d gone a few days without sleep before. She never liked doing it, though. It made her sloppy. Sounds of Edelgard moving around her room kept her from immediately falling asleep. Instead, she rested her arm against her forehead. The tight tug from the stitches reminded her.

“We need to remove our stitches soon,” she muttered, her eyes following the patterns in the grain of the wood above her.

The creak of a well used book spine, the crossing of legs.

“Do you need help removing yours?” Edelgard asked from somewhere in the room. It sounded like she was near her desk. 

“That would be nice,” Byleth said, moving her arm over her eyes and turning her vision dark. 

The rest of Edelgard’s reply sounded far away as Byleth nodded off.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

“Lady Edelgard, I’d advise for the port of Enbarr,” Hubert said as his eyes flicked over his shoulder.

The map was slightly curled at the corners, one of the many the Captain seemed to have in her quarters. Edelgard tapped her finger against the floor as she shifted how she was seated. Sitting on a wood floor for long periods of time isn’t kind to one’s joints. But she and Hubert didn’t have many places to hold discussions like this, and she definitely couldn’t do it in the Captain's quarters. 

“We have a guarantee of allies being there?” She asked as Hubert leaned to where they’d placed the cluster of maps she’d grabbed. 

“More there than anywhere else on the nearby coasts,” he replied as he pulled another map open on his room floor. 

Edelgard rubbed her thumb and finger together, her gaze sliding along the floor to the grouping of Ferdinand's trinkets in the corner. She had no idea why the two of them decided to room together. When they weren’t bickering about something trivial, they were shooting odd looks at each other. 

“Any word on who attacked my ship?” She asked after a moment, looking at Hubert. 

“Only speculation, currently. Anything I’ve tried to get from the Captain shows she’s as clueless as we are. I don’t know if I find that comforting or truly irritating,” Hubert said as he traced his finger along a coastline on the map. 

The urge to defend the Captain rose up and settled in her throat. Edelgard pressed her lips together, looking at where Hubert was tracing on the map. She’d always respected Hubert’s council. What’s changed, that suddenly she wants to jump to the defence of a woman she barely knew?

“I’ll mention to the Captain that we’d like to be dropped off at the port of Enbarr, then,” she said, pushing up and off the floor. 

The idea of leaving after just meeting the Captain left an odd feeling in her chest that she refused to acknowledge. Putting time into giving it a name would make it real. She thought the Captain was attractive--nothing more, nothing less. Anyone with eyes would be able to come to that same conclusion. She pressed the flats of her palms against her pants. The hammock in the corner swayed with the ship as gulls cawed just outside the wall. 

“Well, do we need to discuss anything else?” She asked, turning fully towards Hubert.

“Actually, Lady Edelgard, I’d like to mention one more thing,” he said as he began rolling the maps up neatly.

“Yes?” She said as she rolled the map in front of her up, taking the others from Hubert after he finished. 

“The Captain,” he paused for a moment, a look crossing his face. Edelgard knew that look--it was a look that carried a message she wouldn’t want to hear but Hubert knew she needed to.

“We can’t trust her. We don’t know the true angle she has in helping us. She could sell us out for all we know the next time we dock in a port,” Hubert said.

“She saved my life, Hubert.” Edelgard’s voice hardened. “She could have watched me die, but she didn’t. Hell, she could have left us on a sinking ship or not even intervened.”

“My point is,” Hubert sighed, “we don’t know why she did what she did and the next few months are vital to the plans in place. This attack wasn’t a coincidence.” 

Edelgard let out a long breath as she rubbed at her forehead, shifting the maps to her other arm. 

“A pirate is a pirate, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said as he flattened the wrinkles in his coat. 

“Thank you for your council Hubert.” Edelgard turned towards the door. “As always, it’s invaluable.” 

She pushed past the door and continued down the hallway without another word. The crews’ quarters were quiet--no panicked sounds of Bernadetta explaining her newest worry or Caspar loudly telling a story to Lindhart. Instead, just the soft creaking of wood and rope. Everyone was likely on deck, helping the Captain’s crew. Despite Hubert’s distrust, everyone else on her crew seemed to be getting along shockingly well with the Captain’s. 

Edelgard pushed out through the crew’s quarters door and onto the deck, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. The smell of sea air washed over her as she looked around. Caspar was working with… Alois, she thinks that's his name. She started on her familiar walk to the Captain’s Quarters, a flash of red hair catching the corner of her eye. She had to fight the urge to duck and run as she watched Sylvain gesture animatedly to whoever he was talking to. The grunt had tried to make a pass at her earlier in the week, and it hadn’t worked out in his favor. She tried not to seem like she was hurrying across the deck now as the Captain’s door came into view.

The handle was warm and worn in her hand as it clicked closed behind her. Her eyes immediately jumped to the desk and a faint empty feeling settled in her chest as a vacant chair met her. Maybe Hubert had a point. Maybe she shouldn’t be as trusting of the Captain--she didn’t even know the woman after all. Edelgard shifted the maps in her arms, walking over to one of the crates the Captain kept them in and carefully placed them back as they previously were. Walking back into the center of the room, she crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her elbow. She didn’t want to walk back out onto the deck and risk being accosted by Sylvain again. Maybe being alone was for the best right now. She did have to think about how to bring up where she wanted her crew dropped off to the Captain afterall. Her crew and herself, that is. Edelgard let out a huff, walking over to the small box that held all the items she brought from her ship, rummaging around for her sketchbook. Being alone felt necessary, but being alone with her thoughts... Not so much. Her fingers closed around the familiar binding of the book, smooth leather long worn from constant touch. Placing it in her lap, her fingers scratched against the bottom of the wood box, feeling, reaching and searching before finally connecting with a familiar, ashy stick. 

Black smudges were left on her fingers as she rolled the charcoal stick in between them. Since her ship was attacked, she hadn’t had a moment to just--do something for herself. For a moment a feeling of selfishness washed over her. She still had plans to put into place and puzzles to solve, the trustworthiness of the Captain being one of them. Walking over to the carpet, Edelgard sat down, not bothering to tuck her feet underneath herself. She had no reason to expect the Captain back anytime soon. The spine let out a faint crack as she opened the book, resting it in her lap as she flipped through the pages she already had filled. Portraits of her siblings, her younger sister caught mid laugh, the angle of her head connecting to the neck she drew not quite right. A shoulders-up drawing of a younger Hubert, his hair longer and coming over one of his eyes, his lips faintly turned up. Finally, Edelgard turned to an empty page, her thumb and finger adjusting the charcoal held in her hand. 

She didn’t have a specific subject in mind, she just wanted to put the charcoal to paper. She just didn’t want to think for a moment, instead pushing the easily smudged material into the paper to make something. A messy sketch of Dorothea, a slightly more refined one of Hubert, a sloppily drawn flower. She wasn’t sure why the flower seemed so familiar, her fingers lightly tracing over the drawing. 

The door clicked open, the Captain walking in and barely missing the feet that were laid across the carpet. 

“Oh, Captain!” Edelgard called. She wasn’t startled, but she also hadn’t expected the woman back anytime soon. She quickly tucked her legs underneath herself to allow the woman more room to walk. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be coming back.” 

“I was just, um...” the Captain paused, her face scrunching into a yawn. Edelgard hadn’t realized how tired she looked until then. “... Walking around the ship, checking in on my crew.”

Edelgard let out a low hum, her gaze flicking back to the sketchbook in her lap. Her eyes traced the flower she had drawn. Maybe she’d seen it in her earlier sketches and forgotten? She flipped through a few pages before a soft voice cut through the room.

“You draw?” The Captain asked.

The other woman had inched closer without Edelgard even noticing. There was such a soft openness to her face, it almost knocked the air out of her chest. Her eyes drifted slightly past the Captain’s face to the seemingly always open shirt she wore. A familiar flower looked back at her. She snapped the book closed.

“Poorly,” she managed to choke out, “but yes.” Edelgard’s grip tightened around the sketchbook. It felt like she had some nasty little secret she needed to hide in there and she most definitely didn’t want the Captain to see it. 

“They didn’t seem poorly done,” the Captain all but mumbled, though the simple sentence left Edelgard feeling unsteady.

For a woman she didn’t want to trust, it came staggeringly easy. Maybe Hubert was wrong, maybe the Captain was solely well intentioned. 

“I still have much to improve on,” she said, her fingers moving around the sketchbook, her thumb rubbing a circle into the cover. “Thank you, though.”

Her gaze trailed across the carpet before meeting the Captain’s, heat prickling through her veins and making her fingertips tingle. The Captain paused, her eyes staring back before the other woman lightly cleared her throat, rubbing at the back of her neck. It was a little tick the Captain seemed to have. Edelgard found it endearing. Wait-- endearing?

“We are going to be landing in Black Spot Cove soon,” the Captain said. Her speech sounded sluggish.

Edelgard pushed aside the invading thoughts that had started to crash around her at her word choice when describing the Captain. Instead, a small coil of concern had started to settle in her chest. 

“Would you prefer my crew and I stay aboard?” Edelgard asked. She shifted the sketchbook in her hands. She’d forgotten she’d still been holding it. 

She moved across the carpet, placing the book back in the box and looking over her shoulder. The Captain had settled a blank stare towards the book shelf. Edelgard’s eyes jumped from the wall of books to the maps settled in the corner right next to it. It felt like a cannonball had been placed over her chest, the rust from the piece of metal pressing and scraping into her skin. Her throat felt thick. Maybe the Captain did have ill intentioned plans after all. She hadn’t answered Edelgard’s question yet, either. 

“Captain?” She asked, looking at the faded pattern in the carpet. Edelgard didn’t want to look at the other woman, she couldn’t. 

“I, uh….” the Captain paused, bringing her hand up to her mouth again, a yawn tumbling out of it, “... No, just be cautious when walking about. We still have no idea who attacked your crew.” 

“Right,” Edelgard muttered, picking up her box and moving it to a corner in the room.

Maybe the Captain was well intentioned or maybe the immature infatuation Edelgard had allowed to grow was clouding her judgement. She trusted this damn stranger too easily. The muscles in her jaw twitched as she looked down at her box, gaze jumping from the sketchbook tucked towards the back, the folded pair of pants, the two maps she’d been able to grab, and finally the small bottle of sweetened wine. The bottle the Captain had given her only a few days after her and her crew had been given refuge on this ship. The bottle the Captain had given her after realizing she hated ale. Given unprompted and seemingly out of nowhere. 

She stood up from where she had placed her box and tried to walk casually across the room, the Captain still staring emptily at the bookshelf. She needed to look in her eyes, she needed to know if the other woman was planning anything. She rubbed her thumb and pointer finger together, the ship letting out a faint creak as it shifted with the waves outside. She just needed to feign worry, worry about what she had no idea, but worry would do. She could look into the other woman’s eyes and find the answers. Answers to what, she didn’t know. 

Somewhere, deep down, she desperately wanted Hubert to be wrong--wanted to just have this simple comfort. 

“Captain?” She pressed the flat of her palm against the Captain's shoulder, warmth pressing into the pads of her fingers, working up and in between each joint. The other woman’s gaze refocused and turned towards her and suddenly Edelgard was in front of the ravine that was the other woman's eyes. A deep cavern she couldn’t see the bottom of, see the intentions of, and she realized she was truly scared for the first time in a long time. 

“Are you alright?” She asked. She needed more time, just a few more moments to sift through whatever was going on behind those eyes. 

She had to find something. 

The Captain closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. And just like that, Edelgard’s search was over--the Captain’s eyes relayed the same thing they always did. An openness, a patience, and an undercurrent of cleverness that was definitely underestimated in most scenarios. 

“I’m fine, just in need of some sleep.” The other woman took a few steps back, and Edelgard’s arm dropped back to her side. 

The thick thwump of a coat being draped over a chair bounced off the walls. Then the delicate clinking of metal buckles on wood. Edelgard had nothing to hold up the belief the Captain was conspiring against her crew. Nothing. Something rattled in the back of her brain, the hard taught etiquette from her childhood, the ability to pick up on a subtle message.

“Would you like me to leave so you can?” Edelgard asked. She had walked towards the desk without realizing it. 

“No, no,” the Captain said as she settled into her chair. “No need for you to leave.” 

Edelgard’s eyes tracked the Captain’s movements. How the woman's shoulders rolled to pull off the boots on her feet, and the little sigh that worked its way out of her lips when she laid down on the bed. The way the patterns on her skin twisted with her arm as she rested it over her eyes. Movements of someone fully unguarded. The amount of trust the Captain displayed towards Edelgard always left her unsteady. 

“We need to remove our stitches soon,” the Captain mumbled out.

Edelgard almost jumped at the sudden statement. She’d been so involved in her own thoughts. 

“Do you need help removing yours?” She asked before even thinking. The offer to help felt right, natural. 

“That would be nice,” the Captain said, quickly falling quiet afterward. 

Edelgard had been trying to busy herself with a book in her lap, only to look up and see the softened expression of the Captain fast asleep. Her chest felt tight.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

A soft knock and then even softer voices gently pulled her from sleep. Her eyes opened and were met by the same patterns in the ceiling she was tracing earlier, except this time, fatigue wasn’t pulling at her eyes. To say she was relieved the nap worked was an understatement. She had a tendency to get… spacey when she didn’t get enough sleep. 

“Captain?” Edelgard called. 

“Mmmm,” Byleth hummed, rubbing at her eyes and promptly jerking to a stop as her stitches pulled and complained.

“Shamir just knocked,” Edelgard said, her voice sounding closer. “We’ll be landing in Black Spot Cove, soon.” 

“Thank you,” Byleth said, sitting up and yawning into her hand. “Did you do anything while I slept?” 

The question seemed innocent enough to Byleth. The rigid posture that took over the heir across the room seemed to indicate otherwise. Byleth scratched at her cheek, resting her other arm on her knee. The heiress seemed very interested in the ceiling of her cabin, all of a sudden.

“Is everything alright, Edelgard?” The way the other woman was refusing to look at her was becoming borderline ridiculous.

“Yes, Captain-- It’s just... just, your shirt is... uh,” Edelgard faltered, waving her hand in Byleth’s direction. 

“Is there something wrong with it?” Byleth asked, looking down. The shirt seemed fine, it had no holes or stains as far as she could see. 

“No, not technically,” Edelgard muttered, looking just above Byleth’s head. “It’s just… hanging terribly low, is all.” 

Byleth let out an amused huff, tugging at her shirt to right it, and slid to the edge of her bed. “So what did you do while I slept?” 

“I took a moment to look at your maps,” the heir said. 

Byleth walked across the room to where she threw her boots earlier. 

“Oh?” She said as she sat in her chair and slid on her shoes. As she turned towards Edelgard, she saw something flicker in the other woman's eyes.  
Walls. Slabs of brick being slapped with mortar, hiding-- no, protecting something. 

“I’ve found a suitable port for you to drop my crew and I off at,” Edelgard said.

The sharp pain in her chest was alarming. It felt as if a bee had managed to work its way into her chest and had decided to sting and prod at her heart. 

“Oh,” was all she could manage to say, stilling with the buckles on her sword. 

“I was thinking the port of Enbarr would be best,” Edelgard continued, seemingly unaware of the swarm reeking havoc in Byleth’s chest. 

Edelgard cleared her throat, the sound cutting through the room and making Byleth turn towards her in her chair. “If you’ll excuse me, Captain, I’d like to inform my crew that we’ll be landing soon.” She turned and then rushed out of the room. 

Byleth simply stared at the space Edelgard previously occupied, bees still rattling in her ribs. She felt... weird. The room felt oddly empty after the heir’s quick departure and Byleth was uncomfortably aware of it, shifting in her chair before turning back to the buckles on her sword. She promised to drop Edelgard’s crew off after they finished the job they were in the middle of, and she was going to do just that. Enbarr would be their next destination. 

Byleth swallowed thickly. She must need water or something. She fidgeted in the chair for a moment longer before pulling her coat from the back and shrugging it on. A knock sounded at her door and she couldn’t help but notice how fast her heart was beating. How much she hoped it was Edelgard for some reason.

“Yes?” She called pausing in front of her desk searching for the strangely patterned piece of metal she was looking at earlier.

“Captain?” Shamir asked through the door, a rock settled in Byleth’s stomach. “We’re about to dock at the Cove.” 

“I’ll be out in a moment,” Byleth responded, finding the metal and tucking it into her pocket. She walked across her room and took out the metal plate she typically strapped to her hand--no harm in preparing for the worst.

When she walked out of her quarters, Shamir was waiting next to her door and righted as soon as it clicked shut. She nodded at her, waiting for the report Shamir had clearly been waiting to deliver. 

“Catherine and I have taken stock of what we have on board and will refill what's necessary for our next voyage.” 

Byleth merely blinked, pausing to tie her hair up as Shamir continued.

“I’ve also prepared for Alois and Sylvain to drop off the cargo our previous job requested.”

“Is it the best idea, sending them both to drop off the cargo?” Byleth asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Trust me,” Shamir said, crossing her arms. “I thought about it. They’re actually perfect for this kind of drop off.”

Byleth chuckled.

“If you think so,” she said, shrugging as the two of them came to a stop next to one of the banisters of the ship.

A gust of wind kicked up from the water, pulling at her coat. The sun had just started turning the horizon golden hues of orange and purple. The ball of light just beginning to rest on the horizon, by the time everyone finished their errands, it’d be dark. The sun had started setting earlier and there was a familiar bite to the air in the mornings. Winter was just around the corner. Byleth rested her elbows on the banister, gingerly lacing her fingers together. 

“What’s on your mind, Captain?” Shamir asked, leaning against the banister, her arms crossed. 

“I’m not sure,” Byleth replied. She’d never been good with figuring out what kind of emotions she was feeling. It felt like now was one of those puzzles. 

“Are you worried about the trouble we’ve inserted ourselves into?” Shamir provided, looking at Byleth.

“No,” Byleth paused. “I don’t think so--I know we’ll be able to handle ourselves no matter what happens.” 

Her grip tightened on her fingers. Shamir hummed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“I have a few more things to fine tune with Catherine and Alois,” Shamir said, pushing off the banister and taking a few steps away. “I’ll see you later tonight, Captain.” 

Byleth looked out at the sea for a few more moments before an outcropping of beach and a ship’s sail cut into her vision. They were here. She pushed away from the railing, turning on her heel and walking towards where her crew was getting ready to toss heaving lines, commands being shouted from the dock to her ship. It’d been awhile since they’d been in Black Spot Cove. She could only hope that her friend was still living here. 

A flash of white hair stood out in the crowd of people lining the banisters and then, suddenly, Byleth was moving. Her hand lightly cupped Edelgard’s elbow, the action screaming familiarity. The heir turned and suddenly Edelgard was very close and Byleth couldn’t even remember the reason she walked over to the other woman. 

“Captain?” Edelgard asked. her eyes flicking to where Byleth’s hand still lingered.

The urge to run her thumb in a circle slammed into her chest, kicking the swarm of bees back to life and leaving her unsteadied. Why did she want to do that? 

“Before you and your crew head into the markets of Black Spot Cove,” Byleth said, clearing her throat, “Just be aware not every crew is as kind as mine.”

Edelgard’s gaze shifted from Byleth’s hand to her face. Byleth looked back, waiting for Edelgard to find whatever she was looking for. She hoped the heir did--hoped that the other woman realized she was just here to help. She dropped her hand, placing it on the pommel of her sword and fidgeting with the familiar shape. 

“Thank you, Captain,” Edelgard said, looking towards where a crew member was shouting particularly loudly in directing Byleth’s ship. 

“Ah, Lady Edelgard, there you are,” a voice sounded from behind Byleth as a hand clapped down on her shoulder.

Hubert, of course. The man had a passively threatening presence. This past week, Byleth had started to fully understand Bernadetta's paranoia about the man. 

“Hubert,” Byleth said flatly, nodding her head. The man stared blankly at her eyes, vacant. Damn, he was almost as good as her. Almost. 

“Captain,” Hubert responded, his tone clipped. “If you’ll excuse us.” 

“Of course,” Byleth muttered, tucking her free hand into her pants pocket.

The two turned from her, Hubert bowing his head low to whisper something in Edelgard’s ear. She watched as the heir nodded her head a few times, her eyes flicking back over to Byleth. She couldn’t help but allow a small smile to flit across her face.

Warping the ship went quicker than expected, Alois and Catherine shouting instructions to the people on the dock as Byleth’s ship was tugged deeper into port. Her crew worked together seamlessly, each person sliding into the roles they’ve been filling for years. What took her entirely by surprise was how eager the Hresvelg crew was to help with the warping as well--each one finding a perfect role to assist in without getting in the way. The cohesion of the two crews was almost jarring. 

Standing on land for the first time in weeks was always strange, no matter how many times she had to deal with the change. The world seemed to roll with the sea while still staying firmly planted beneath her feet. 

“Remember the first time you left the ship with us and fell face first onto the deck?” Alois said, clapping Byleth on the back. “Funniest shit I’d seen in weeks.” 

Byleth pressed her lips together at the memory, trying to hide the smile that was pulling at her cheeks. She did remember it. She had to have been no older than sixteen. It was one of the first times her father had given her a crew to run contracts with and she’d been so confident in her ability to keep her feet under her, she tripped as soon as she walked onto the dock. The split lip she got from the fall checked her confidence, as did the roaring laughter from her crew. 

Her palm settled on the top of the pommel of her sword, shifting the weapon.

“I’m not living that down, huh?” Byleth asked, turning to Alois. 

Alois chuckled, “No, definitely not.” 

The two walked down the dock as the rest of her crew passed, an excited hum of conversation in the air. Byleth missed this, the small joking conversations between her and Alois. A laugh bubbled up and out of her throat as Alois laughed along to the joke he’d just told. She’d known him for so long they might as well be brother and sister--her father had treated Alois as such, anyway. They both stopped at the edge of the dock, wood planks periodically placed in the sand to provide some loose path towards the shops and bars in the cove. 

“Be careful out there, Captain,” Alois said, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

She nodded, smiling, turning from him and walking briskly down the vaguely marked path. It only took her a few minutes to be completely encased in the bustling life of the Cove markets. The sun warmed the back of her jacket, fighting the chill that seemed to have permanently settled in the air. Each shop had a clear buyer in mind. Intricate details lined the tails of coats that were just visible from the makeshift street Byleth was walking through. Another shop toted a wide selection of weapons from different regions, another had boxes of fruits placed in rows. She stopped looking at the crates, plucking an orange and shifting the fruit in her hand. She hadn’t had an orange in months. The fruit would be a good purchase for her crew and eaten quickly enough she wouldn't have to worry about it rotting, especially with the extra bodies. She purchased the crate, tucking the orange she had in her hand into her pocket as a treat for later. 

The back of her neck prickled like someone lightly trailing their fingertips against it. Then, something caught her eye in the crowd. No-- that's not correct. Someone. The muscle in her jaw ticked. She continued through the market, hand casually resting on the pommel of her sword, the other in her pocket, pausing periodically to look at different wares at shops. There was no need to act panicked. She was being followed--all she had to do was figure out by who. Every stop she made, she just missed the figure shifting into place in a crowd, impossible to pick out or distinguish. After her third stop, she got a proper look at who was following her and she’ll admit, he was good. She almost didn’t catch him as he slid into observing the items for sale by a shoemaker. 

Hubert. 

The realization brought an uncomfortable amount of questions with it. Edelgard couldn’t have asked for this, could she? 

She fiddled with the compasses settled in the tray in front of her. She needed a moment to think and it seemed Hubert hadn’t caught on to the fact that she’d noticed him yet. An older woman with her hair wrapped up in a bun walked over, a thick accent carried on the question she asked.

“Looking for a new compass,” the woman eyed her attire, “Captain?” She asked, tacking the formality on after noticing the pattern pressed into her belt buckle. 

Byleth smiled, fidgeting with the metal tool in her palm. “No.” She rolled her neck, pretending to rub out a kink and managing to catch Hubert in her periphery. “I seem to have a pest problem. Do you have wares inside for that?” 

The woman’s eyes flicked over her face--they were cloudy from age. 

“Yes,” she said, turning. “I believe I have just the thing in the back, for a small price.”

“Of course,” Byleth returned, following her inside. 

Carpets and leathers hung from any possible free space. Dust and the strong scent of freshly cured leather sat thick in the air as the sound from outside was immediately shut out. There were little words exchanged between the older woman and her, simply a palm held out for coin. Byleth placed a few pieces of gold in the old weathered palm, gripping the woman's forearm. 

“Thank you,” Byleth said. 

The other woman simply jerked her head towards a place farther back in the shop, her fingers curling around the money. 

“Best of luck with your pest problem,” she said as Byleth shimmied between the hanging leathers and carpets before meeting a wall, and then, a door. 

Her hand closed around the handle and the muscles in her legs tensed. She knew this area, Hubert didn’t. She simply had to lose him and quickly. She was only a few minutes’ sprint from the taverns in the Cove. She could lose him between here and there. She pulled in a deep breath, the leather tinted air settling in her lungs. 

As soon as Byleth pushed the door open, she turned to the right and started pelting down the small alley between the shops. Partially rotted wood walls flew by as her boots kicked up chunks of wet sand. She twisted sharply to the left, forced to a slowed walk as she shuffled in between two shops, the small passageway opening to a new road. She sucked fast, hard breaths in through her nose. She pushed into the crowd, pulling her hair out of the ponytail she had put it in previously--changing her hair might make Hubert noticing her harder. She walked with the crowd, catching her breath for a moment before sliding to the other side of the makeshift road and shuffling in between another pair of shops. The cold air made her throat feel raw. 

As she exited on the other side of shops she stopped, running her hand through her hair and resting her free hand on her hip. This street was quieter. Sweat ran down her temple as she looked left and then right--she had to be nearby the taverns at this point. She started walking down the road, eyes flicking over the signs hanging above each building. It seemed some of the previous inns and taverns had changed hands since the last time she was here. Her eyes caught on the name of one. The Grove. The name was familiar but the location, not as much. She walked towards the tavern, pausing outside. A hum of conversation was audible, a jeer occasionally pitching above the mix of sound. Scratching the back of her head, she walked in. All she could do was hope she would find him here. 

The Grove was packed. Her boots stuck to the floor when she walked across it and the stench of ale clung to the air. It was the perfect kind of place for what she needed to do. The likelihood of finding who she was looking for in the first tavern she walked in to was low and she knew it. This place having the same name as the last meet up spot didn’t seem like a coincidence, either, though. 

Byleth walked over to the barkeep, placing a few coins down as she waited for her tankard of ale. She rested her elbows on the counter, looking out at the rest of the tavern, eyes jumping from group to group until finally they paused on a familiar face, staring intently at her. The tankard being thunked on the counter next to her had her turning to pick it up. Taking a sip from it, she began her walk over to the table.

Once she was close enough, the figure clambered out of his seat, pulling her up into a hug. Another set of hands plucked the ale from her grasp as the air was pushed out of her lungs.

“It’s been too long, Byleth!” He called, squeezing her tighter. 

Laughing was hard but she managed, patting him on the back as the hug continued. He looked just like he had the last time she saw him, well, besides the beard. Eventually, he placed her down and gestured to the free seat at the table. Draping her coat over the back of the chair, she sat down, letting out a long sigh and thumping her forehead against the table.

“That bad, huh?” He prompted.

“Claude, everything is a mess.” Byleth responded, pulling her head up from the table only to see Hilda stop mid-sip from her tankard, her eyes narrowing. 

Claude simply plucked the drink from Hilda’s grasp and moved it towards Byleth, gesturing for her to continue. 

“We ran into a crew I’ve never seen before,” she said, pulling the metal triangle out of her pocket. “Shamir managed to grab a few things for me to look at, but...” She placed it on the table. “I’ve never even seen this crest before.” 

Claude leaned over, grabbing it and knocking Hilda’s hand aside. Byleth wrapped her fingers around the tankard, running her thumbs up and down the wall of the container. Seeing Claude again was nice. She’d missed the ease that seemed to come with being around him. Byleth just wished the reunion wasn’t because she stuck her nose into something she knew nothing about. 

“They didn’t start a fight with your ship, did they?” Claude asked, looking up from the metal he now had pinched between his fingertips. 

Byleth pressed her lips together. “No, they didn’t.”

Claude raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

“They were attacking a Hresvelg ship,” she muttered, taking a long sip from her drink and then becoming very interested in the direction the grain of the table ran.

“They were attacking a what?” Claude hissed, leaning closer. “I’m sorry, I must have misheard since I swore you said Hresvelg.” 

“You’ve got to be joking,” Hilda drawled.

Anger rose up in her throat, burning it. The flat look shot at Hilda silenced whatever was about to fall from the other woman's throat, a pout instead replacing it. 

“She’s different,” she just barely managed to flatly state. “I don’t know how to describe it.” Byleth muttered, locking eyes with Claude. “But I know she’s different.” 

“Byleth,” Claude started, placing the metal down. “She’s probably been raised in a house full of snobs who only view people as pawns or ways to earn money. That mentality, it’s…” His sentence trailed off as he folded his hands together on the table.

“The Hresvelgs aren’t known for their-- kindness,” Hilda added.

Byleth was raised around people who were quick with their swords and even quicker with their wits. She knew the Hresvelg was entirely capable of defending herself, yet she couldn’t help but   
want to jump to the woman’s defence. They were making all these assumptions about Edelgard when they hadn’t even met her. A woman who refused to receive care before her own crew, who--

Claude sighed.

“Look, Byleth,” He said running his hand through his hair, “Hresvelg or not, I’ll help you.” 

“Thank you,” she replied, looking back towards the pendant. “Have either of you seen it before?”

Claude rested his chin in the palm of his hand, his free one drumming out an erratic beat on the table. 

“Maybe--the interlocking snakes and patterning behind them look familiar. It’s definitely not from this continent.” 

“What makes you say that?” Byleth asked, leaning forward and plucking the triangular piece of metal up.

“That metal isn’t found anywhere in this region, unless someone imported it--but most don’t.” 

Byleth hummed, waiting for Claude to continue.

“It’s too expensive to import for simple jewelry making like this, too,” Hilda added.

“You didn’t notice any distinct accents in the fight you had with the crew?” Claude questioned, squinting further. He looked like he was about to sneeze. It was the look he always got when he was deep in thought.

“No, not from what I could tell.” Byleth took a sip from her drink, mulling over the brief interactions she’d had. “I mean, they didn’t seem to have distinct accents when they were being killed.”

Hilda let out a sharp snort. “How do you say shit like that with a neutral face, constantly?!”

“Shit like what?” Byleth said flatly, fighting a smirk. 

“Now you’re just teasing me,” Hilda huffed, rolling her eyes. 

“Maybe.” 

Claude slapped his palm on the table, a look of triumph crossing his face.

“I know where I’ve seen this before,” he said, looking from Byleth to Hilda, the smile on his face quickly dropping. “Oh shit, I know where I’ve seen this.”

“Claude?” Byleth asked, shifting in her seat.

A rock settled in her stomach as she watched the excitement drain from Claude’s eyes. People mistook his lofty nature for carelessness, but Byleth knew that was never the case. Claude was smart and he never underestimated his opponents. His advice had always been invaluable. 

“Dimitri,” Claude started his sentence before trailing off.

“As in, King Blaiddyd?” Byleth pushed, looking between him and Hilda.

A simple nod was all she received from Hilda. Claude started tapping on the table again. The low hum of the tavern faded into the background as Byleth’s thoughts jumped from one prediction to the next. Each more grim than the last. To spit in the eye of a king was never good for a pirate--to step in between an unspoken conflict of high ranking families was even worse. God, she hated the games nobility played. The annoyance at the growing complication was expected, the concern for Edelgard was not. The bees rattled in her chest again. 

“Did he send the crew?” She asked, trying to halt her careening thoughts.

“No,” Claude said, shaking his head. “But this same group tried to kill him a few years back.” 

She fidgeted with her cup, looking at the rich brown liquid inside. Small islands of froth moved away from the walls. She took a long sip from the tankard.

“Well, shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND NOW THE PLOT BEGINS! I expect to have a better idea for how many chapters this fic is going to be by either the fourth or fifth chapter (right now I have 12/13 chapters in mind). I laid a couple pieces of foreshadowing for later events in this chapter as well as chapter two and I'd love to hear peoples theories. Along with that Sothis is a white bellied Caique, I know I asked for people to guess in the last chapter. 
> 
> I'm back and with a set posting schedule now!! First of every month expect a new chapter from me on this work. As always many thanks to my Beta Reader who deals with my absolute disastrous understanding of grammar. I also post updates about this fic and others I'm writing on my Twitter so feel free to follow me there at Ollie_Griffins


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